The Legend of Rune: Rising Fears FINAL MIX
by Deeth Irteen
Summary: Rune, a young black dragon, has been hiding from his tragic past for five years. But when familiar faces arrive in the place he's called home, he learns of a way to redeem himself. But will he be able to do so? Rated M for Mature themes and violence.
1. Act 1, Chapter 1

Act 1, Chapter 1

It was the dead of night. The young Purple dragon flew as fast as he could, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Far below him, the ground seemed to stretch on for miles in all directions. But he didn't care. The young dragon needed only to get away.

A giant dragoness, its body hidden almost entirely in darkness, was gaining fast. The young Purple dragon could feel her glare on his back. When she spoke, her voice was like a demon's.

"You cannot flee forever, you whelp!" She snarled.

The young dragon made the mistake of glancing back at her when she spoke. He saw into her fiery red eyes, which were filled with absolute rage. He swiftly looked forward again and tried to go faster, but he was too late.

The dragoness opened her mouth and unleashed a blast of Black Energy, which struck him full force. He immediately felt every nerve in his body become overrun with absolute pain, as if it were set aflame. He plummeted to the ground, screaming in agony and twitching violently. When he crashed, most of the bones in his body were shattered.

The black dragoness landed behind him as he moaned in agony, tears pouring from his eyes. She scooped him up in one paw and held him in the air before her.

"Did you think you could escape from me, traitor?" She snarled, venom in her words.

The Purple dragon could barely breath. However, he managed to scrape together enough energy to speak.

"I… I'm not a traitor", he said. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

The dragoness grew angrier.

"LIES!" she bellowed. The dragoness proceeded to crush what little life remained out of the helpless youth.

As he screamed in pain, the dragoness bore her teeth in a snarl.

"Here and now, you will pay for your crimes!"

She then opened her maw, and brought the Purple dragon to it. He cried out as she proceeded to swallow him.

"NO, STOP! NOOOOOOOOOO!"

...

Nellie was woken with a start by the sound of Rune crying out in the next room.

"Rune?" she asked, concerned. "Oh no, not again."

She got up onto her feet and proceeded to head towards Rune's chamber.

Nellie was a young Water dragoness, roughly twelve years old. She had a light blue hide and a pink underbelly. She had maroon eyes, and two pink horns, which pointed downwards from the back of her head and down her neck. She had a light blue mane, which fell down to he base of her neck. A small tear-shaped birthmark was just underneath her left horn.

Nellie walked a few yards down the hallway and into Rune's chamber. The young Purple dragon was lying on his straw mattress, twitching back and forth and shouting out.

".No...Stop.."

Nellie sighed.

The young dragoness walked up to Rune and shook him on the shoulder, trying her best to wake him.

"Rune, wake up." She said.

At first, he only continued to cry out in his sleep.

"No…. don't kill me… please….!"

Nellie tried harder.

"Rune, WAKE UP!"

Still no luck.

Annoyed, Nellie hit Rune with a beam of Ice breath. The Purple dragon woke up with a start, yelping from the sting of the Ice.

"Huh?…. Oh, it was just a dream." Rune looked to his side and saw Nellie looking over him, a concerned look on her face.

"Nellie? What is it?" He asked, getting up onto his feet to face her.

"Rune, you were shouting in your sleep again" The young blue dragoness replied.

"I was? Well, It was just a nightmare."

"This is the third night in a row that this has happened. You keep begging to someone not to kill you."

"It's nothing to worry about, Nellie."

"Nothing to worry about? This isn't normal, Rune. You need help."

"No I don't." Rune was starting to get agitated.

"Yes, you do. You should see the Elders about this."

"That's not necessary. I'm fine."

"Rune, please….."

"I SAID NO!"

Rune shouted the last sentence. Nellie backed away, frightened. The Purple dragon looked at her for a moment, realizing he scared her.

"I'm sorry, Nellie, I didn't mean to.."

"It's okay." Nellie said, stepping closer again. "It's just that, I can't stand listening to what you've been saying in your sleep, Rune. You sound like you're in pain."

For a while, Rune just stood there, not saying a word.

"Rune?"

"Alright, fine. I'll go ask the Elders for help tomorrow morning."

"I'll go with you, okay?"

"Sure."

Nellie smiled.

"See you tomorrow, Rune." She said, before turning and leaving Rune's chamber.

"Goodnight." Rune said, faking a smile.

...

When Nellie was gone, Rune sighed. He turned around and walked over to the window carved into his wall. In the distance, he could see the towering Palace that was the center of the city of Glenhaven.

"How could the Elders possibly help _me_?" He asked himself glumly. He glanced down at his paws. "I'm so pathetic."

Rune was twelve years old. He had purple scales, with a yellow underbelly and yellow eyes. He had 2 teal horns that bent backwards, and a ragged, short red mane that fell to his earholes.

However, this appearance was a ruse.

In truth, he was a Black dragon. His underbelly, horns and mane were really dark grey, the latter falling below his jaw. His eyes were a vibrant gold color. He had 4 birthmarks, 2 on either side: Ancient Symbols that glowed a blue light had adorned the sides between his legs and on the upper arm of his front legs, just below the shoulder.

For five years now, Rune had hidden his true self behind a spell. He feared that if it was known by all what he was, he would be hunted down and slaughtered like a monster. So, he pretended to be a Purple dragon.

During Rune's long stay at the city of Glenhaven, he was raised by a Fire dragon named Hontus and his mate, Seraph. Hontus had a Red hide, with an Orange underbelly and set of horns, which were shaped like lightning bolts on the back of his head. He had a Brown mane, and a short beard.

Seraph was a Water dragoness, and fittingly enough, had a blue hide with a dark blue underbelly. Her eyes were a deep Maroon color. Her long mane matched her underbelly, and her horns were silver.

Hontus and Seraph had two children close to Rune's age: Blank, a male Fire dragon, and Nellie, another Water dragoness.

They all loved Rune as if he were a true member of their family, but he still feared revealing his true form. But as he stood at the window, he wondered if he should.

"Would it be a good idea? Would they still accept me?" Rune looked out the window at the world before him as he pondered this. "…Or is that just wishful thinking?"

A few tears left the young dragon's eyes.

"..I wish I had somebody I could talk to." Rune thought of the Elders, and how he promised Nellie he'd see them. "Maybe I _could_ talk to the Elders. These nightmares aren't going to vanish on their own."

A yawn escaped Rune's mouth, making him realize how tired he was.

"I'll deal with this in the morning. I need to sleep."

The young dragon slumped over to the pile of straw he was sleeping in, and drifted into slumber. He did not know who was rapidly approaching Glenhaven that very night….

...

Three dragons flew towards the ancient city of Glenhaven, two male and one female, under the cover of the night. The air was quiet as the sky, with scores of Stars illuminating the night sky. A massive constellation in the shape of a dragon stood prominently upon the the heavens.

All three of the dragons wore Dark Grey robes, hiding their faces and most of their bodies. The only things visible were their paws and snouts.

Their names were Albanion, Elza, and Aegis.

Albanion had a Red hide, Aegis had a Brown hide, and Elza had a Light Blue hide. Aegis was the burliest of the trio, and was missing a wing. Elza had a slender figure and was considrably shorter than the two males.

The city was surrounded by a great wall of Stone; a precaution constructed by Earth dragons, no doubt. The trio flew over this barrier and landed in the city streets just behind an Iron gate.

As the trio came to a landing, Albanion surveyed the area.

Glenhaven was an ancient city, one of four dedicated to one of four Virtues: Wisdom, Commerce, Magic and Power. This particular city was a gigantic, circular city, divided into four sections. The Northern and Southern segments were business sectors, comprised mainly of buildings used as shops, markets, forges, smelters, and other forms of businesses. The Western section of the city was a massive Grasslands area. Sheperds looked after and provided a massive number of Sheep and Goats for the citizens to use as a food source. The Eastern section of the city was a residential area. Most of the houses were built on the ground and were of decent size, but a good number of them were built into massive towers of earth: These were reserved for the city's Guardians and Elders, and their families.

Albanion's primary focus, howerver, was on the towering Palace that stood at the very center of the city.

"Glenhaven, the city of Wisdom."

As Albanion said this, Aegis surveyed the area. Hardly any dragons or other creatures were awake at this time of night, except for the occasional beggar.

"Are you _sure_ his highness has fled here, Albanion?" Aegis asked his ally.

The Red dragon turned to his companion.

"No, but we need to search any place we find." He answered. "This is a large city, so it's possible he's hiding here."

"How could we possibly search this entire city for one child?" Elza asked. Albanion pointed into the air.

"Look." He commanded. "Do you see that great building in the center of the city?"

"Of course" The others said in unison.

"That building is the Palace of the Elders who govern Glenhaven. It is possible that one of them knows the location of our renegade prince, if he is here."

"How can that be?" Aegis queried.

"Think of this, Aegis: the young dragons of Glenhaven are sent to the Palace and surrounding buildings to train. If Glenhaven operates like Warfang and Aeroshard do, then the Elders here learn the names and faces of every child who's sent to train."

"Ah, so if Prince Cyrus is here in Glenhaven, it's possible that he's been training in disguise as a commoner, and the Elders can lead us to him" Aegis said.

"Aye." Albanion arreed. "We've dawdled here for too long. We must find a place to spend the night before we speak to Glenhaven's Elders."

The Red dragon prepared for flight.

"Aegis, Elza, follow me."

Elza and Aegis prepared for flight, the latter dragon using his Memory element to lift himself off the ground.

"Do you think the Prince is well?" Elza asked, concerned.

"Don't worry too much, Elza." Albanion responded. "He may be immature for his age, but I am certain we'll find him soon enough, and in fine condition."

And so, the three dragons set out into the city…..


	2. Act 1, Chapter 2

Act 1, Chapter 2

It was a bright and sunny morning. Seraph went into Rune's chamber and shook him to wake him up.

"Time to get up, sweetie." She said warmly.

"Ten more minutes" Rune mumbled, still half asleep.

"Come on, Rune. You have to get up."

The Purple dragon yawned, getting onto his feet and rubbing the last bit of slumber from his eyes with a forepaw.

"Good, morning, Seraph." He greeted, smiling. "Are Nellie and Blank awake?"

"Blank's already left for the day, but Nellie's been waiting for you to wake up."

"Thanks for telling me."

Seraph and Rune headed out of the chamber and into the hallway. The Water dragoness noticed that the younger dragon was moving more sluggish than usual.

"Did you sleep okay last night?" Seraph asked him, concerned. He froze for a bit.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." He said awkwardly. "I need to get going. I'm supposed to go with Nellie to the Palace today. I'll see you later, Seraph."

Rune rushed off to meet Nellie.

"Make sure you get something to eat first, Rune." Seraph said to him.

"Okay!"

Seraph just watched Rune as he left. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"He's hiding something."

Seraph turned down the other direction and went to find Hontus. She found him in their chamber, putting on a Red Bangle around his neck.

Hontus was one of the Palace's Guardians. The Guardians served directly under the dragon Elders to defend the city's residents, especially the Elders themselves and the many students that learned there. The bangle was a symbol of status, and worn by all Guardians.

Hontus was turning to leave the room, but was surprised to see Seraph at the doorway.

"Oh, hey, love."

"Hontus, do you have a moment to talk?"

The Red Hontus didn't like the concerned look on her face.

"Is something the matter?" He backed up so Seraph could enter the chamber.

"It's about Rune."

"Rune?"

"When I woke Nellie up today, she told me that, for three nights now, Rune's been shouting in his sleep."

"That's odd." Hontus said, now very concerned.

"She said that he begs to someone to spare his life."

The Red dragon put a paw on his beard, thinking for a moment.

"Where is he now?"

"He just left with Nellie for the Palace." The Water dragoness and sat down on the bead. "Oh Hontus, I'm so worried about him. This isn't like him at all."

Hontus put a forepaw on one of Seraph's to comfort her.

"Later, when I find the time, I'll have a talk with him about this. It's possible that he ate a bad lamb earlier this week, and it's not agreeing with him"

The Red dragon chuckled. He hoped that would lighten Seraph's mood, but she just looked at him sternly.

"This isn't something to joke about, Hontus!" She yelled. "There could be something seriously wrong with him."

"I know, I know. But don't get too worried too soon, Seraph. I'm sure Rune's fine." Hontus kissed Seraph and left the chamber.

"But like I said, I'll talk to him later today. Have a pleasent day, love."

"You too, Hontus."

Seraph sighed as her mate left the chamber.

...

The Eastern side of Glenhaven.

Blank darted behind some trees. He was in the giant grassland that was on the Eastern portion of Glenhaven. He saw a flock of sheep wander into view. As they grazed, the young dragon prepared to jump into action, licking his lips mischievously.

Once the flock had passed by, he charged at the sluggish sheep in the back. The entire flock heard him come and ran, but he was faster. He knocked a sheep onto it's side and snapped its neck with his jaws. Once it was dead, he dragged it back to the trees and chowed down.

Blank was Hontus and Seraph's older child. He had his father's underbelly color, but had the eyes and mane of his mother. His hide, however, was orange.

The young dragon had some free time before he had to go train at the Palace, so he decided to spend it relaxing. Once he was about halfway full, he heard another dragon coming to a landing nearby. Wiping blood from his face, Blank looked around the trees to see who it was. He saw a young Earth dragoness land in view. Her name was the same as her scale color: Emerald.

Emerald was the granddaughter of two of the Elders of Glenhaven: Telus, the Earth Elder, and Attonita, the Lightning Elder. Emerald's parents, Jules and Mimet, were each the child of one of those two Elders, thus making her family the most rich and politically powerful in all of Glenhaven. Despite this, she preferred to have the appearance of a normal dragoness.

Emerald's underbelly and horns were a light shade of Green, while her short, wild mane was a Darker shade of Green. She had Emerald Green eyes, and was of moderate stature. Her horns were short and bent upwards. A satchel of the finest leathers hung around her neck.

The young dragoness had landed to grab a sheep to eat. Blank, grinning, got an idea.

Once Emerald had killed a sheep and dragged the carcass into the nearest shade to eat it, Blank snuck up from behind, and jumped over her, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"BOOGA!"

"AAGH!" She screamed, tripping over her sheep and falling over.

A moment later, Blank was laying on the ground laughing hysterically as Emerald glared at him from where she laid on the grass.

"What did you do THAT for?" She demanded. The Orange dragon calmed down a bit before speaking.

"Oh, you need to lighten up, Emerald." He chided. "It was just a harmless joke."

The dragoness rolled her eyes and took a bite out of the sheep's side. When her mouth was empty again, she spoke again.

"What are you still doing here, anyway?"

" I've got plenty of time, still."

"Oh, is that right?" Emerald continued eating. "So, where're Nellie and Rune?"

"They're probably at the Palace right about now."

"They went without you?"

"Yeah, Nellie said something about speaking to the Elders today. Not sure why, though."

"Well, we might as well get going ourselves."

"Why?"

Emerald just gave Blank a look.

"Because we're supposed to, that's why!"

Blank shook his head, sighing.

"Oh, man. I hate school."

After doing away with the sheeps' remains, the two young dragons spread their wings and took off for flight.

...

Glenhaven Palace.

The Palace was constructed on top of a mighty pillar of earth, which housed a network of rooms and hallways within it. It was constructed by Earth dragons, who dedicated it to an ancient Earth Guardian named Terrador, who lived hundreds of years ago. A long line of the Earth Guardian's descendants looked after the city from then on, and the current leader was Elder Telus.

Rune and Nellie were standing before the Palace's Giant Iron Doors on the great front stoop.

"Why are we waiting for Blank?" Rune asked, annoyed.

"Well, I told him we were going to see the Elders today." Nellie answred. "He and Emerald are supposed to train with Master Telus today, so it seemed like a good idea for all four of us to go in together."

"But Blank'll waste so much time just getting here!" Rune stammered.

"We don't have anything else to do today, Rune. We can see the Elders at any time. Be patient."

"Fine..." Rune said grudgingly.

A short while later, Blank and Emerald landed behind them.

"Good morning, Rune, Nellie." Emerald said, smiling.

"Hello, Emerald." Nellie replied.

"Yes, yes, Hi!" Rune said. "Can we go in now? Sheesh."

Nellie rolled her eyes as Rune knocked on one of the Iron doors.

After a moment, one of the Doors opened inwards. An Orange Dragon was opening the door.

"Ah, Good morning, kids." He said.

"Good Morning, Voden." The four children replied.

Voden was another one of Glenhaven's guardians. His underbelly and horns were yellow, and his ragged mane was a deep Ruby color. He also wore a Red bangle, like Hontus's.

The four children walked into the palace.

"Are we the first ones to arrive today?" Nellie asked

"Actually, no." Voden answered. "About half an hour ago, two strangers in Grey robes arrived to speak to the Elders."

Rune's eyes widened.

"Grey robes?" he asked.

"Yep. Not sure how Dragons managed to craft robes that fit their bodies. Can't imagine how they take them off." Voden stroked his bushy red beard. "Anyway, they've been in the Elders' chamber for a while now. I wonder what they're up to?"

"Well, uh.. It's probably none of our business." Rune stuttered. "Come on, guys."

The Purple dragon walked around Voden and proceeded into the Palace. The others followed after him.

I wonder why he's so nervous,

Nellie thought.

...

"Are you sure you haven't seen such a child?" Albanion asked the Elders.

Earlier in the morning, Albanion and Elza left to speak to the Elders of Glenhaven. There were only three: Telus of Earth, Krystallos of Water, and Attonita of Lightning. One could tell they were aged dragons by first glance, but their individual features made them all the more formidable-looking.

Albanion, Elza and the Elders were in a large, circular room. Three large Windows illuminated the chamber, although torch stands were between these windows, for nighttime use.

The Three Elders were standing on the other side of a Swirling Green Pool: A Pool of Visions, which sat in the very center of the room.

Telus, the oldest of the three , had a Dark Green hide, an underbelly of a slightly lighter shade, four green blunt horns behind his eyes, and an aged Grey mane and beard. Portians of his wing membranes were missing; remnants of past battles. He wore a Grey bangle adorned with various Rubies and Saphires on his thick neck.

Krystallos, another male, had a hide like the ocean, his scales appearing to shift and sway as the light hit them. He had 2 great horns atop a thick, Blood Red mane. A Tattoo shaped like a long Serpent was branded onto his left front upper arm, the tail wrapping around his leg joint. He also had 2 bright red birthmarks on his eyes. He wore two Bronze guantlets on his front legs.

Attonita, the only female elder, had 2 different colors to her hide: her primary color was yellow, but various segments of her body were golden, shaped like lightning bolts across her body. Her mane was short and cream-colored. She had three Bright Yellow horns that resembled lightning bolts right behind her Golden eyes.

When Albanion and Elza arrived, they were dead-sent on getting the information they needed, no matter how frightening the elders were. They had expected the Elders to be hostile, but the way they were treated was surprisingly mild. Howerver, treachery was suspected.

"We keep tabs on all the young dragons that are sent here to train." Telus declared, responding to Albanion's question. "And we are all certain that there is no child that fits that description in Glenhaven."

"Out of curiosity," Attonita began, "you have yet to tell us why such a child is so important to find."

Albanion and Elza knew this was coming, and were prepared.

"The child is the son of our master," Elza began. "He has fled from his home, so our master sent us to find him and bring him back."

"Who exactly _is_ your master?" Krystallos asked.

"That information stays with us." Albanion answered.

"If you won't tell us everything, then how can we trust that everything you're saying is true?" Telus asked.

"What are you suggesting?" Albanion queried.

Trouble was brewing.

"Well, you have withheld your names, you hide your bodies behind those strange robes, you speak little of your origins, and you refuse to say who your master is. Forgive me, but you do not fit the description of rescuers to me."

Albanion could sense the anger building inside Elza.

"It seems more likely that the child is an…" Telus cocked an eyebrow. "..abductee, that you're trying to recapture."

Elza's anger burst forth.

"How dare you!" she exclaimed. "What have we said or done to warrant such slander?"

The dragoness began to move forwards. Moments before she could make a costly mistake, Albanion lifted his right foreleg to block Elza's path.

"Stop it, Elza." He said, hoping she would calm down.

"Albanion, this man is jumping to outrageous and insulting conclusions!" She snapped.

"She has a point, Telus." Attonita said.

"We know little about them, so how can we assume the worst?" Krystallos added.

Telus closed his eyes, shook his head, and sighed.

"Fine, I apologize for my words. Perhaps your intentions are more noble than first glance would indicate. BUT, if you'd tell us more about yourselves, I could judge better."

"We cannot say anymore than what we already have." Albanion began again. "Our master made us swear to keep his and our identities secret. Please respect that."

Telus glanced at Krystallos, then at Attonita, then finally back at Albanion and Elza.

"I do not wish for this discussion to teeter back and forth indefinitely." He said. "I'll respect your wishes… for now."

Albanion was relieved. The worst had passed.

"Thank you, Elders. Before we leave, I have one small request."

"What is it?" Attonita asked.

"If it is alright with you, we would like to spend the next few days in Glenhaven to replenish our supplies. A long journey lies before us, and we need to be prepared."

"Will you avoid contact with the students?" Krystallos queried.

Elza spoke up, her rage now subsided.

"You have our word: We will not harass the young dragons."

Telus lookd between Attonita and Krystallos, and they nodded their approval.

"Then you may do as you have asked." The Earth Elder stated.

"Thank you." Albanion replied.. He looked towards Elza. "We're done here. Let us be off."

As Albanion and Elza turned around to leave the Elders' chamber, Elza looked back at the Elders.

"May the ancestors bless you for the rest of your lives." She said, nodding once.

Once Elza had turned back and wondered out the doors to the chamber, she whispered to herself.

"Short and hateful they may be."

...

"So, Rune, what do you need to see the elders for?" Voden asked as the five dragons wandered down the hall to the Elders' chamber. Rune was hesitant to say.

"Oh, uh.. No reason." He stammered. Nellie looked at him like he said something stupid.

"'No reason'? Really, Rune?"

Rune got a little agitated. Nellie ignored this and proceeded to answer Voden's question.

"We're going to see the Elders to see if they can help us find out why Rune's been shouting in his sleep lately."

"Rune's been shouting in his sleep?" Emerald asked.

Rune got even angrier. He turned to face Nellie and shouted at her.

"Why don't you just tell everyone in GLENHAVEN, Nellie?"

Hontus and the others were stunned by the outburst. Rune turned around and ran off down the hall with a humph.

"Where did _that_ come from?" Blank asked, perplexed.

"Rune, wait!" Nellie called out, chasing after him. The others followed suit, although they didn't go as fast.

"You're not supposed to run in the hallways!" Voden shouted to them.

Rune didn't care. He just wanted to get away from the others.

...

Albanion and Elza had stopped in the hall to talk.

"What shall we do now, Albanion?" Elza asked.

"We shall regroup with Aegis." Albanion answered. "Once we do, we'll proceed to-"

Albanion was interrupted when something smacked into him, catching him off guard.

He quickly spun around, snarling and getting ready to retaliate. To his surprise, it was only a small Purple dragon, who was now paralyzed with fear on the floor. Albanion's rage subsided, but he was still quite annoyed.

"Watch where you're going, you stupid boy!" He yelled at the child. The young dragon got back up unto his feet.

"Sorry.." He mumbled. Albanion merely harrumphed.

"Wait up!" A young, female voice shouted.

Suddenly, a small Blue Dragoness came running up to the Purple boy. Behind her were three other dragons; An Orange adult, and two more children. The Purple dragon turned to face them.

"What, Nellie?" he demanded.

"Look, I was just telling Voden why we're seeing the Elders" the Blue girl began. "There was no need to get mad at me."

The Purple boy rolled his eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." He said halfheartedly. "Let's just go get it over with."

The five dragons wandered around Albanion and Elza on their way to the Elders' chamber.

"Honestly, Rune, I don't understand why this is such a big deal." The Green girl said.

The Orange adult seemed to give Albanion an odd look. Perhaps it was a mistake to watch them leave.

Once they were out of earshot, Albanion turned back around.

"We've dallied enough. Let's go"

He started to walk forward, but noticed that Elza wasn't following. He looked behind himself to see Elza looking at something down the hall the others just left down.

"Hmmm…" She said in thought.

"Is something the matter, Elza?" Albanion queried.

"The Purple one…"

"Hmm? Oh, the one who rammed into me." Albanion already filled with chagrin thinking about that child. "What about him?"

Elza turned her head to face Albanion.

"I could have sworn his name was… Rune."

Albanion cocked an eyebrow. He hadn't thought of that name in ages.

"Bah" He said, turning to face forward again. "It must've been a coincidence, or perhaps you heard wrong. The Rune that _we_ know is dead and gone. Come, we have work to do."

And so, the two dragons left the Palace, not realizing fully who they just passed by….


	3. Act 1, Chapter 3

Act 1, Chapter 3

Rune could hardly believe it. He _knew_ that man.

It was Albanion, a member of a group of Dark Dragons known as the Deep Shadows. Even if Rune couldn't see his face, he'd recognize Albanion's voice anywhere.

When Rune started to walk away from the two, Emerald blurted out his name, and the female seemed to notice. That gave him the shivers. That woman must have been Elza, another Deep Shadow and Albanion's long-time companion.

But why were they in Glenhaven? What would happen if they realized who Rune was? What would they do to him?

Rune shook his head.

Don't get carried away, Rune

, he thought to himself. _Maybe they'll think you're just some kid who happens to share the same name as a dead prince._

"Rune, are you okay?" Blank asked. Rune snapped out of thought.

"Yeah, why?"

"You haven't said anything in a while." Emerald answered.

"I was just thinking to myself."

The group of dragons finally arrived before the Doors to the Elders' Chamber. Two Dragons in silver armor stood guard on either side of the doors. Voden walked up to the doors and opened them.

"My lieges" He declared, "the two students Blank and Emerald have arrived, as you asked. There are also two other students who have requested an audience."

The Earth Elder Telus walked over to speak with Voden.

"Good. I'll take Emerald and Blank with me. Attonita and Krystallos will handle the others." Telus turned to walk down the other hallway.

"Come along, children."

Emerald and Blank went after Telus.

"See ya, guys!" Blank called back to me and Nellie.

The Water Elder Krystallos walked up to the doors. "Who needs to see us?" He asked Voden. Voden motioned to Nellie and Rune. Krystallos's mood seemed to brighten when he saw me.

"Oh, young Rune! And Nellie as well, eh? Send them right in!"

Ever since Rune came to Glenhaven, the Elders had taking a liking to him. Rune had shown that he was quite adept at magic over that time period. He figured they expected great things from him. But he believed it was because they thought he was a purple dragon.

Now that he thought about it, why _did_ he choose to disguise himself as purple dragon? If he had chosen to look like any other dragon, no one would expect as much of him as they do now.

Then again, Rune would have had to hide most of his magical abilities, as most dragons only control one of the twelve elements, and he could wield several. Whatever the Pros and Cons were, Rune had chosen to be a purple dragon, and there was no changing his mind now.

Krystallos had returned to his place next to Attonita behind one side of the Green Pool, and Rune and Nellie faced them on the other side.

"So, how can we help you kids today?" Krystallos asked.

Rune was a tad hesitant, but he spoke nonetheless.

"Well, for the past three nights, I've been having strange nightmares."

"Strange how?" Attonita queried.

"The nightmares have been causing him to cry out in his sleep", Nellie replied. "Each time, he begs to someone not to kill him."

Krystallos and Attonita exchanged glances, concern on each of their faces.

"Rune, do you happen to remember what happens in these dreams?" Attonita asked.

Of course, Rune remembered perfectly. But the Elders wouldn't understand if he told them. Still, he didn't want to lie to them. So he decided to tell them a few things.

"Well, I remember flying over a great plain of land in the middle of the night." he began. "Something's chasing me, but I don't know what."

That part was a lie.

"Whatever it is, it manages to strike me out of the air, and crushes the life out of me."

"Oh my." Krystallos remarked.

"Well, it's possible that the nightmares are a memories of a traumatic event in your past." Attonita stated. "Have you been remembering anything about how you became orphaned, Rune?

Of course he remembered. But he couldn't tell them.

Rune shook his head no.

"I remember wandering around a lot by myself, but not much else." He said solemnly.

Attonita thought for a minute.

"Did anything happen recently that could've caused you to have these nightmares?"

"Nothing that I can recall, really." The young Black dragon replied.

"Well, I must apologize, Rune, but there is little we can do to help you. You can try keeping a Deamstone nearby to keep the nightmares from surfacing again, but that's not a permanent solution to your problem. If we knew the cause of this, I could do more."

"Alright." Rune said glumly. "Thank you for your time, Elders." Rune turned to leave, Nellie following close behind.

"We wish the best of luck to you, Rune." Krystallos called to him.

...

Emerald and Blank stood in the lower section of a large arena in the Palace.

Various Marble statues of past Dragon Elders and Guardians circled the arena, standing against the Brown stone walls. Four wide passageways led out of the arena on all sides, but they were currently blocked by Iron gates. The upper section of the chamber was composed of several rows of bleachers for spectators to sit and watch entire arena was illuminated by a great number of torches that lined the walls of both sections.

The two young dragons were surrounded by a dozen wood and straw dummies, all shaped like Apes of various sizes: Six small ones, four medium ones wielding Wooden Spears, and two large ones wielding Clubs. The Dummies were arranged so that each young dragon fought the same number of each type of enemy on either side of the Arena. They snarled and howled like real apes, and clashed their weapons against Wooden Shields, all in preparation for the battle to ensue.

Telus stood up on the upper section of the Arena, manning a small control console.

"The rule for this exercise are as follows: He began. "You may use any physical or magical attaks that you please. Flying is forbidden, but Gliding is still allowed. Now, are you two ready to begin?"

"You ready for this, Blank?" Emerald said to the Orange dragon.

"Ready as I'll ever be." He replied, grinning.

"Then begin!" Telus bellowed.

Immediately, the Dummies charged at the Emerald and Blank, and the two young dragons dashed forwards.

Three of the small dummies charged at Emerald from afar, ready to claw at her. The dragoness dodged to the left, narrowly missing their attacks, and countering by launching an Earth bomb at them. The blast sent the dummies flying backwards in random directions, and Emerald charged at them ,using her magic to temporarilly augment her strength. She quickly sliced through their wooden bodies with her talons, her heightened power sendind splinters and straw bits flying in all directions.

Upon their defeat, the dummies cried out in pain and then suddenly exploded into Green and Red Gems. Before Emerald could enjoy the spoils, however, one of the medium-sized dummies bashed her hard across the side with his fist. The dragoness groaned in pain as she was sent flying a short distance across the arena. Luckilly, a few stray Gems had landed in her path not a moment ago, and she quickly regained her stamina.

"You musn't become distracted by a single target, Emerald." Telus scolded.

As this was happening, Blank was combatting his enemies with a different approach.

The young dragon used his Fire breath to set the smaller dummies aflame. As they danced madly about in pain, Blank chuckled, and then charged at the nearest medium dummy. As the Ape swung his Spear downwards to attack the young dragon, he quickly dodged to the side and leapt onto the dummy's back, driving his talons and fangs into its neck and shoulders.

The Dummy howled in pain as Blank tore away at its form, sending chunks of wood and straw allover the place. The ape swung madly about in an attempt to grab hold of the young dragon, but he was just beyond reach. Another medium-sized dummy charged up from behind and attempted to run Blank through with its spear, but the young dragon saw it coming, and leapt away just in time, causing the dummy accidentally impale its ally.

Blank laughed hysterically as the second dummy tried to pull its spear free of the first one, which cried out in agony before suddenly becoming silent. As that dummy exploded into gems, Blank crept up on the first one and set it on ablaze with a blast of Orange fire. As the dummy performed the same mad dance as the one smaller dummies did, a Large Dummy charged at Blank, swing its club to smash the young dragon's skull. Blank jumped back in surprise, barely missing having his head bashed open.

"Don't get too distracted, Blankridge!" Telus declared. "A distracted warrior is a dead one!"

Meanwhile, Emerald was in the middle of staring down her three remaining opponents.

The two medium dummies cackled at the dragoness, while the large one sneered, readying his club. Emerald stared them down, silently preparing another Earth bomb for when her enemies charged at her.

Sure enough, the two medium dummies raced forwards, ready to stab Emerald. The young dragoness let loos her earth bomb at the nearest dummy. As it was sent flying backwards, Emerald used her normal Earth breath to blast the other dummy.

The young dragoness then headbutted her oppnent backwards at the Large dummy, and then immediately turned and lunged at the Dummy she blasted with the Earth bomb as it was stuggling to get back onto its feet. She sunk her fangs into its straw neck, tearing a good chunk of it out. At her victim howled in pain, the other two dummies charged at her, weapons at the ready. So, Emerald jumped away from the fallen dummy, rolled around on the floor, and faced her remaining two enemies, readying another Earth blast.

On the other side of the arena, Blank was facing down his only remainng opponent; the large Ape dummy who struck him earlier.

There were no more Gems for him to pick up, and he was left with little stamina and practically no magical energy. The Ape dummy laughed at the fatigued young dragon.

"Oh you are SO going down." Blank sneered.

The young dragon ran forwards, preparing to use all of his remaining energy for one more Fire blast. The Ape, meanwhile, swung his club in an arc around itself with great speed. Blank was smacked onto his side, groaning in pain the whole way.

"Don't behave so foolishly, Blankridge!" Telus scolded.

As the dummy prepared to strike again, Blank turned his head in his enemy's direction and unleashed all of his remaining Fire breath on it.

The Ape dropped its club and flailed about in a mad dash, the Orange Flames burning it to a crisp. After a short moment, the dummy fell over and exploded into Gems, restoring Blank's health and energy.

"Sweet." He said, grinning.

The young dragon turned to watch Emerald, who was having minor difficulty dealing with her large Ape dummy. The medium dummy had been destroyed by a few rounds of Earth blasts.

"Can I help her out, Elder?" Blank asked.

"You've completed your part of the exercise." Telus replied. "Emerald has to complete hers alone."

"If you say so..."

Emerald had been reduced to little to no stamina, but she still had at least half of her energy left. The dummy, meanwhile, had taken a bit of damage after being hit by the smaller dummy, but was still plenty capable of fighting.

The dragoness sent an Earth bomb at the dummy, but it blocked the attack with its Club. This proved to be a bad idea, since the Club broke in half upon the impact, sending splinters flying about. With her opponent defenseless, Emerald charged forwards, using the last of her magic to augment her strength yet again and striking the dummy with a powerful headbutt, sending it up into the air.

The dragoness then leapt up into the air and struck the Ape downwards with another headbutt, and it hurtled to the floor, breaking apart into pieces upon impact. The remains of the dummy broke into Gems, and that was that.

Telus flipped a switch on the console, causing all the remains of staw and wood strewn about the arena to vanish.

"Well done." He stated. "You have completed the exercise, though not with flying colors."

"What do you mean by that, Grandpa?" Emerald asked.

The Earth Elder glided down to the young dragons, a serious look on his face.

"You both have problems with focus: Emerald, you have too much, while you, Blankridge, have too little. The two of you need to pay attention to everything that's going on around you during battle, not just one aspect of it."

Emerald knelt her head in embarassment, while Blank sighed in annoyance.

"However, as I have said, you two succeeded." The Earth Elder stated reassuringly. "The both of you are showing excellent prowess with your respective elements for dragons your age. You just need more practice to avoid making such large mistakes. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Blank and Emerald said in unison.

"Good." Telus smiled. "Now then, you two are done here for the day. Gather your things and get ready for your next classes."

The two young dragons bowed their heads and left through the southern passageway, heading for the locker rooms.

The exercise they had just partaken in was one of several that the two young dragons, as well as Rune and Nellie on occasion, had gone through recently.

Since all four of them were the children of a Guardian, two in Emerald's case, they were all able to enter a special training program at the Palace, so that they could eventually become candidates for Guardianship. Normally, a lot of factors determined which young dragons were selected for the program, like skill, magical ability, personal outlook, and other such things. However, the four young dragons were given the opportunity as soon as they all reached the appropriate training age. That isn't to say that they didn't have the right skills anyway, as was proven in the arena on more than one occasion.

After Blank and Emerald each gathered their respective books and belongings, the two young dragons met in the corridor and headed off.

"So, what do you think Rune's problem was earlier?" Blank asked.

"Well I wouldn't know." Emerald replied. "But he certainly seemed a bit more irritable than usual."

"Weird, huh?" The Orange dragon stated.

The two young dragons slipped into another hallway, which was crowded with students of various ages, from cub to teenager. Now that it was closer to noon, the Palace had been filled with many more young dragons, all here to learn.

Emerald and Blank turned to split ways.

"I'll see you later, Emmy!" the Orange dragon said happily.

"Don't think you can get away so easilly, Blank." Emerald scolded. "I'm still mad at you for your stupid little stunt this morning. You owe me."

Blank grimaced.

"It was just a little joke!" He protested.

"I don't care."

And with that said, Emerald turned and walked off. Blanksighed.

"This is going to suck. I just know it."

...

The day slipped into the afternoon.

Rune and Nellie had gone to the Glenhaven Grand Library to find information on dreamstones.

The Library, which sat on the Northern section of the city, was one of the largest buildings in all of Glenhaven, second only to the Palace. It stood five stories tall and was built out of the sturdiest Marble. Several Colloums similar to the ones around the Palace decorated the Library's outer walls.

The interior of the Library was large and spacious, with most of the floors having exposed areas for dragons to fly up to them. There was also a large spiral staircase connecting all of these floors near the back, so that Moles and Cats may traverse them. Each of the Library's floors were covered with a fine red carpet, while the countless bookshelves were constucted of Hardwood.

Rune and Nellie walked through the large Metal doorway that led into the building and approached the front desk, which was staffed by two librarians: A femal Cheetah and a Lightning dragon named Jonas.

Jonas was a middle-aged, overweight dragon with a Topaz hide and a Red underbelly. He had a militaristic attitude, which his serious gaze in his bright green eyes attested to. His two red, broken horns and short Blue mane added to this effect. It was pretty unusual, considering his choice of occupation. Then again, his strict, no-nonsense personality ensured that the Library was clean, quiet and effecient for all who visited.

Rune had approached Jonas many times in the past, but he was always frightened by the Librarian's appearance.

"Hello, sir." The Purple dragon said nervously.

"Ah, Rune." The Librarian said halfheartedly. "And you've brought your sister as well. Shouldn't you two be in school at the moment?"

"We have the day off from classes today." Nellie answered.

Jonas studied the two young dragons skeptically.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah..." Rune stammered. He wasn't lying, but the way Jonas looked at him made him feel like _everything_ was a lie.

The Yellow dragon scoffed.

"Fine. But you two better not be up to any tricks, like that no good brother of yours."

"We're not, sir." Rune replied.

"What brings you two here in the first place, anyway?" Jonas queried.

"We need to find information on Dreamstones, sir." Nellie answered. "Where can we find some books on that subject?"

Jonas took a moment to lift a large, hardcover book off a shelf behind himself and started looking through it. As he did this for a few minutes, the Librarian mumbled to himself, as if doing this was a hindrance to his solitude.

"Fourth floor." He stated. "Nonfiction section. The book your're looking for is 'Mystical Articafts of Draconian lore, Book two'. Index number 503 BEL."

"Thank you, sir." The two young dragons said in unison.

Jonas only grunted in response. Feeling nervous again, Rune turned around and flew up to the fourth floor, Nellie following close behind.

Despite Jonas being a tad on the unpleasant side, the Library was one of Rune's favorite hangouts. When he was a cub, he could only come here on weekends under Hontus or Seraph's supervision, and could only read picture books in the children's section. But as he got older, he started coming here by himself, and read more and more complicated texts and tomes, most of them about the Dragon Realms' great and expansive history.

At the start of the afternoon, Rune and Nellie were sitting at a small table on the far side of the Fourth floor. Before getting down to reading about Dreamstones, the Purple dragon couldn't help but look around at the other Nonfiction books around it. He wanted to read a book titled "The fourteen years of the Cougar-Ape Conflict", but Nellie scolded him, claiming he was avoiding the subject. Eventually, the Purple dragon started reading the Draconian Lore book. It took him a while to find the section on Dreamstones.

"Well?" Nellie asked. "What's it say?"

"Hold on a second.." Rune replied, scanning each page diligently. Eventually, he found the section on Dreamstones, and proceeded to read aloud to Nellie.

"'A Dreamstone is a gemstone that is charged with energy drawn from the Sun." He began. "They were first crafted by ancient tribe of Cheetah mystics, but were adopted by the Dragons of Clan Cancer in the year 243 New Age, or N. A. The purpose of a dreamstone is to absorb the negative energy that nightmares are composed of out of the user's mind and into the center of the gem. Most of these stones work perfectly, but each dreamstone has an upper limit to the energy they can hold, depending on the size and type of gem, as well as the skill of the craftwork of said gem. If the dreamstone fills up with too much negative energy, it'll eventually overflow and spill out and back into the user, creating a nightmare far worse than the individual ones would have been. Therefore, it is considered standard practice to use a dreamstone only sparingly.'"

"Sounds pretty complicated." Nellie stated. "Where can we find one?"

"Well, we could find a Memory Dragon to craft one." Rune suggested. "Or we could ask Seraph to look around the market district."

"How many pieces of gold do they go for?"

"Well, I wouldn't know."

"Hey, guys." Someone said from behind.

The two dragons looked over to see Emerald and Blankwalking up to them. They must've finished their training for the day. From the grimace on Blank's face, Rune could tell that Emerald had dragged him along with her, since the Orange dragon didn't like to frequent the Library.

"What's up?" Emerald asked.

"Nellie and I are doing a bit of reading about dreamstones."

"What for?"

"It was a suggestion from Lady Attonita." Nellie answered. "Rune's going to use a dreamstone to help him sleep better at night."

"If we can obain one, that is." The Purple dragon added.

Blank yawned.

"Man, this place is so boring." He complained "Why'd you bring _me_ along, Emmy?"

"_You're_ here to carry the books I check out." She scolded.

"WHAT?" Blank was incredulous.

"You owe me for that stupid prank you pulled earlier." Emerald stated. "And you're not supposed to shout in a library."

Blank shook his head, groaning. The Green dragoness shot Blank a dirty look, while Rune and Nellie chuckled.

Rune got up, thinking about how he'd like to check a book or two out as well. Maybe Cougar-Ape book that Nellie stopped him from reading earlier. He walked across to the other side of the Nonfiction section of the library, when he saw something that sent shivers down his spine.

Albanion, Elza, and a third Dragon he didn't recognize were walking across the way on the opposite side of the library. The third dragon was missing his left wing.

What are THEY doing here?

he thought.

"Rune, what is it?" Blank asked, walking up next to Rune. He saw the three dragons as they vanished from view.

"Hey, it's those weird guys from earlier." Blank said, excitement in his voice.

"Yeah."

Rune looked at Blank, and saw him smirking. Rune got worried.

Please tell me you're not thinking what you're ALWAYS thinking.

"Let's follow them." Blank said.

"What?" Rune asked incredulously. "Why?"

"Why not?" Blank responded. "They obviously aren't normal dragons. Maybe we'll find out something interesting."

"Blank, I don't think that's a good idea."

"You need to learn to live a little, Rune." Blank glanced back to Nellie and Emerald, who were deep in conversation. "Plus, there's no way I'm carrying a mountain of books."

Rune sighed. He _really _didn't want to go after those three, but he was never able to win an argument with Blank. He'd always manage to drag Rune into his shenanigans, no matter how much he protested.

"Blank, I don't think we should-"

"Oh, come on!" Blank grabbed Rune's shoulder and the two were off. The Purple dragon looked back at Nellie and Emerald, who still didn't notice the boys had left.

Oh, this is such a bad idea.

...

Rune and Blank followed the trio out of the Library and across the city. Rune noticed that the Brown one was carrying an ancient looking book. But what held his attention was the fact that, despite having a wing missing, the Brown dragon was somehow able to fly just fine.

Blank seemed perplexed by this as well.

"How is he doing that?" He whispered to Rune.

"Beats me."

The trio finally stopped when they came to an old abandoned building on the Southern section of Glenhaven, and went inside. Blank and Rune managed to hide in an alleyway, right outside an open window on the side of the building. They watched the three Dragons as they stood around a circular table in the empty, decrepid room. The two boys were careful not to make a sound.

"Is seems that the prince is not in Glenhaven, if we can trust the Elders' word." Albanion said.

"Then we have wasted our time here!" Elza snarled. "Damn that old Green Bastard! I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he was a Darkstalker!"

"Calm down, Elza", the Brown dragon said in a gruff voice.

"Did you hear that?" Blank whispered to Rune. "She called Master Telus a Darkstalker!… What's a Darkstalker?"

"Beats me." Rune answered. The Brown one spoke again.

"I don't think our stay here has been a _total_ waste." He put the book he was carrying on the table.

"What does this book have to do with finding the prince, Aegis?" Albanion asked.

Aegis

, Rune repeated in his mind._ So that's the brown one's name. He must've become a new companion to Albanion and Elza at some point in the past five years._

"I believe I have discovered where his highness is running away to." Aegis began again. He waved his paw, and the book levitated into the air, opening up.

"If my Memory is correct, which it always is, a few days prior to his disappearance, Prince Cyrus was trying to find out information on something called 'The Well of Souls'."

"'The Well of Souls'?" Albanion repeated. "I have not heard of such a thing."

"Well, it's not a 'thing'. In ancient times, The Well of Souls was an evil pit in the center of a great mountain, wherein the unruly souls of the world would go to rest. According to this book, when an evil spirit of incredible power escaped from there, the mountain around it crumbled. After the world was reconstructed in the wake of a great blast of fire, the pit became even deeper, reaching all the way to the Underworld. The Mountains of Inferdus were soon crafted around this pit, hiding it within the base of the mountains. Over time, the dragons of Clan Aries learned how to communicate with the spirits of those who have passed on."

"Yes, we knew that about Clan Aries." Elza said. Aegis continued.

"Aye, but, I discovered something while I was scrying the book. A few elder dragons of the clan discovered a way to harness the power of Gems and a combination of multiple elements to grant a Deceased spirit a new body."

"Are you saying they found a way to bring back the dead?" Albanion asked, quite surprised. Blank and Rune were surprised as well. Aegis continued yet again.

"Essentially, yes, it _can_ be done, but the process is a complicated one. While a dragon can communicate with the dead from anywhere in the world via the proper means, one would have to go to the remains of the Well of Souls, or the Pit of the Fallen, as it was later called, to free the spirit from the Underworld's grip completely."

"Oh, so the Pit of the Fallen used to be called the Well of Souls." Albanion stated. "That explains why I didn't recognize the name."

Aegis nodded.

"Yes. The next step is to bring a great amount of Green and Red Gems equal to the power of the Spirit that's being brought back to life. This way, the Spirit can merge with the gems to create a body that can be controlled properly."

"Sounds easy enough." Elza replied. "Gems are in great abundance."

"Ah, but the actual method of bringing the spirit to life is the most complicated part." Aegis responded. "To combine the Spirit and Gems, you need a combination of all twelve elements: First, the Elements of Space and Time are used to convert the Energy of the Gems into Mass. Next, the Elements of Fire, Water, Earth and Lightning are used to convert the Mass into a new body. Then the Elements of Flora and Fauna bind the Spirit to the body. Wind is used to enable the body to breath, Sound enables the body to speak, and Memory and Pain enable the spirit within the body to hold onto its past personality. If done correctly, the Spirit will have a new body, and be alive yet again."

"Could it truly be that nigh impossible?" Albanion asked.

"It's one of the most complex spells ever conceived, but far from impossible. The book speaks of three separate occasions when twelve dragons, one of each clan, combined their magic to revive Dragons who were slain before their time. All three attempts were successful.

"However, these attempts came before the Twilight war poisoned the relationship between Light and Dark dragons. And with most dragons of clans Scorpio, Taurus, Aquarius and Leo being almost extinct nowadays, it would be extremely difficult to round up a team of dragons willing to work together to revive one other dragon."

"If that is so, why would Prince Cyrus go to the Pit of the Fallen?" Elza asked.

"If you recall, Cyrus is no ordinary dark dragon, but a Black dragon. Like all descendents of The Great Shadow, Cyrus has control over multiple elements of magic. It could be that, as we speak, he's rounding up a team of unwitting Light dragons to come with him to the Pit of the Fallen to bring his brother Rune back to life. Or possibly his mother, the late Queen Elenar."

Rune flinched at the mention of that name.

"Rune, you okay?" Blank whispered, concerned. Rune didn't answer.

That name…

"Alright, then." Elza stated. "Let us suppose that is where Cyrus is headed. But how could he know the way there? Even if he is born of Lady Elenar's blood, he has never been taken there. And besides that, the world is flocked with dangerous dragons and other beings who wouldn't think twice about stricking him down."

"It is possible that a few Aries dragons still live to lead him there. If anything, the Pit of the Fallen is the best place to look for our young prince."

Albanion stretched his neck.

"We will inform King Bane of this information on the morrow." He said. "For now, we need to replenish our energy. Let us remove our shrouds."

Aegis and Elza nodded in agreement. The trio lifted up their front paws and lowered their hoods. Blank was shocked, but Rune knew what to expect.

All three Dragons had no manes or horns. They had normal faces, but otherwise their heads were bare, as if they never had them in the first place. Then, all three held out their paws in front of themselves, and their Hides' colors shined turned into a pitch-black mass of energy. The energy flew off their bodies and formed into small black orbs in their palms. Their true appearances were revealed:

All three of them were dark dragons.

Albanion had a Dark Grey hide, with a wild Bronze mane that fell to his jaw. Some hairs fell over his Red eyes, and his horns were a matching Red color, bending backwards in curves. Elza's hide was a Dark Green color, and her Dark Blue mane fell neatly down her neck, hidden within her hood.. Her eyes were Emerald Green, and her Silver horns bent backwards like Jagged lines.

Aegis's form confused Rune. By all accounts,Aegis's manipulation of the book suggested he was a Memory dragon, which was a Light element. And yet, The gruff dragon was able to wield Dark energy just as well as Albanion and Elza. Furthermore, his hide was a Dark shadw of Brown. His Black mane was great and bushy. He had a black goatee as well. His horns were made of bronze, like Albanion's, and he had a small scar underneath his left eye, which didn't appear to hinder his sight.

As soon as the orbs of Darkness vanished into nothingness, Aegis gasped, as if something startled him.

"What is the matter, Aegis?" Elza asked, alarmed.

"I can still sense a Shroud of Darkness." He exclaimed. "Someone else is wearing a disguise!"

Rune flinched again.

Oh no.

"How can that be?" Albanion demanded.

"It's possible that I didn't notice it earlier because the energy was overpowered by our own shrouds, but I can sense it now, clear as day!" Aegis pointed to the window where Blank and Rune were hiding.

"And they are spying on us right this minute!"

Blank and Rune gasped.

Immediately, Albanion and Elza charged at the window. Blank and Rune took off running right away. However, they were cut off by Aegis, who burst through the building's wall to head them off. Blank and Rune were frozen in fear. Albanion and Elza immediately broke through the wall with the window to attack who was spying on them from behind.

The three adult dragons were surprised, when they saw the frightened Blank and Rune. They had expected the spy to be another adult.

"What? Children?" Aegis asked incredulously.

"I told you this was a bad idea." Rune said to Blank. Albanion and Elza quickly recognized Rune.

"You AGAIN?" Albanion roared.

"Why were you spying on us, boy?" Elza snapped.

"Wait." Aegis said, a paw in the air. "The purple one… he's the one with the shroud of Darkness on him."

"Him?"

Albanion looked at Aegis skeptically, and then at Rune. Rune started to hyperventilate. He knew what Albanion was about to do. With an eyebrow cocked, Albanion held his paw out towards Rune.

"Let's see what you're hiding." He said coldy.

"No, wait!" Rune pleaded.

Albanion summoned an orb of darkness into his palm, which focused on Rune. Soon, Rune's entire body created a mist of pitch-black energy. Almost all at once, the energy flew off of Rune's body and into the orb of darkness in Albanion's paw. Blank stepped away from Rune in horror. Rune looked at himself. His disguise was gone. His horns and mane had grown into their proper lengths. His 4 Symbols shined out for all to see.

Rune shut his Golden eyes and cried.

No…. Why is this happening?

The three adult dragons had looks of complete shock and alarm.

"This cannot be!" Albanion exclaimed. "Those Birthmarks…that hide of deepest night…"

"What did you do to Rune?" Blank angrily shouted at Albanion.

"Rune….." Elza repeated.

"Prince Rune. He's alive!"


	4. Act 1, Chapter 4

Act 1, Chapter 4

Rune looked all around him in a panic. His heart raced wildly in his chest.

Albanion and Elza blocked his path on one side, and their companion Aegis blocked the other side. He had to get away, but he was trapped. Meanwhile, Blank stood by his side, horrified to see what his adoptive brother had turned into.

"Rune?" The Orange dragon asked.

"It's incredible!" Aegis stated, perplexed. "He looks so much like Prince Cyrus!"

Rune couldn't stand there any longer.

_I have to get out of here!_

The Black dragon quickly charged energy into his mouth and blasted the ground, instantly filling the area with Black Smoke. The others were completely caught off guard by the sudden blindness.

"What madness?" Albanion shouted, shielding his eyes from the smoke.

"What's happening?" Blank exclaimed, confused.

Immediately after filling the area with smoke, Rune took off into the air, flying as fast as he could. He didn't know where to go. He just thought of one thing: Get out of Glenhaven.

...

Back in the alleyway, Elza used her Wind breath to blast the smoke away, clearing the area. When she saw that Rune had vanished, she gasped.

"Where did he go?" The Dark Green dragoness yelled frantically.

"He's fled into the air!" Aegis shouted, beginning to levitate upwards. "I could sense his panicked mind rising upwards!"

"After him, then!" Albanion declared, taking off into flight. "Quickly!"

"NO!" Blank protested.

The Orange-hided boy charged at Albanion, but the Dark Grey dragon shoved him away, knocking him against a wall.

"I have no time to deal with you, boy!" The Deep Shadow sneered.

Albanion then took off into the air. In the meantime, Aegis and Elza had already lifted off to chase after Rune.

Blank got back up onto his feet as fast as he could. But by the time he was on all fours, The three Deep Shadows had already vanished out of view. Horror painted his face.

"I gotta get help!" He shouted.

And with that, the Orange dragon took off into the air to find Nellie and Emerald.

...

Rune flew North over the city of Glenhaven, hoping to escape the city walls as soon as possible.

He thought he was going to make a clean get away, but a familiar voice sent shivers down his spine.

"Your highness, stop!"

Albanion.

He and the other two Deep Shadows were chasing after the Black dragon, all of them gainng ground quickly.

"Stop fleeing from us!" Elza exclaimed.

Rune turned around in midair and faced the fast-approaching adults.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" He screamed.

The young dragons opened his mouth and fired a blast of Lightning at his pursuers, who gasped in surprise.

As the attack shot across the sky, Elza and Aegis swerved sharply to evade it. Albanion, however, wasn't fast enough: The Lightning connected with the side of the Grey dragon's face and temporarilly blinded him. He fell out of the sky, twitching frantically and struggling to regain control of his body before he crashed into the ground far below.

As this was happening, Elza and Aegis continued to chase after Rune, who had restarted his flight. The young dragon prepared to charge up another round of Lightning, but suddenly, something strange happened.

Rune stopped moving, and hung weightlessly in the air. He gought as much as he coul, but he couldn't break free of his invisible bonds.

_What's happening?_

Soon, Rune found his answer: Upon looking twisting his neck around to look behind himself, he saw that Aegis, the Dark Brown dragon, was holding one of his forepaws out towards him, and seemed to be focusing on the young dragon. This enabled the two adult dragons to fly dangerously close to him.

Luckilly, Rune was able to continue charging up his Magical energy, even in this state. Once Aegis and Elze had flown within range, the Black dragon attacked with a blast of Fire breath at them. The Dark Brown dragon was surprised by the sudden strike, and lost his concentration to evade the flames. This enabled Rune to escape and continue fleeing. Elza, however, used Wind to blow away the fire that approached her, and continued her pursuit of Rune.

"Why are you fleeing from us?" Elza asked, irritated.

"STOP CHASING ME!" Rune demanded.

"Prince Rune, stop this madness!"

"NO!"

The Dark Green dragoness charged up her Magical energy and unleashed a burst of Wind behind herself, giving her a great boost of speed. Elza then flew past Rune, spun around to face him in midair. The young dragon tried striking her with more Fire, but the Deep Shadow immediately countered it with Wind, blowing out the flames just as they escape Rune's snout. While he was caught off guard, Elza flew up close and grabbed ahold of one of Rune's ankles. The young Prince tried to break free, but the dragoness's grip was like Iron.

"Let go of me!" Rune screamed.

"Prince Rune, calm down." Elza demanded sternly. "I just want to-"

"LET GO!"

The young dragon used his free forepaw to stab Elza's chest with his talons, piercing right through her Robes. As soon as the talons penetrated her scales, a horrible, burning sensation overcame her nervous system, as if her innards were being burned by an invisible fire.

The dragoness fell out of the sky, twitching in horrible spasms and letting go of Rune in the process. As she plummeted, Elza looked up at Rune, horror and alarm in her eyes. It was as if she was asking him, "Why?"

As Elza fell, guilt overcame Rune's body, filling his stomach with slight nausia at what he had just done. Not wanting to witness the sight, he instead turned and continued his flight out of Glenhaven. The young dragon took off as fast as he could to reach the city's outer walls.

After flying past them, he looked back at the city one last time, sorrow in his gaze.

_Goodbye, everyone..._

And with that, Rune ventured north, vanishing over Glenhaven's walls.

...

After recovering from the Lightning bolt to the face, Albanion resumed his chase after the Prince, following the direction that he had seen Aegis and Elza take. A large, red burn wound scarred the Grey dragon's face, but it wasn't anything that couldn't be healed with proper methods.

A few moments after resuming flight, Albanion gasped in shock at what he saw.

Farther north of Albanion, Aegis was shaking away a set of Red-Orange flames that had covered his Robes. The clothing didn't burn, for it was made of materials that prevented such an attack among others, but the Fire was still a nuisance. But that wasn't what shocked Albanion.

Off in the distance, Elza was plummeting out of the sky, twitching madly from some invisible attack.

"BY THE ANCESTORS!" He screamed.

The Deep Shadow wasted no time to fly to the rescue of his companion. Luckilly, Aegis had just cleared himself of the flames, and took off with the exact same goal in mind. The Dark Brown dragon used his Memory element to slow Elza's descent, bringing it to a complete stop.

Albanion and Aegis flew up to Elza just as the dragoness's spasms ceased. She then breathed heavilly, the shock of the attack taking a great tole on her.

"Are you well?" Albanion asked, concerend.

"Yes, I..." The dragoness gasped when she saw the Grey dragon's face. "Albanion, you're hurt!"

"As are you." Aegis stated. "And we mustn't dawdle here: Glenhaven is no longer safe for us."

"Yes..." Albanion agreed, helping Elza regain her composure. "It's only a matter of time before the Orange boy finds aid to chase after us. Come, let us make haste."

With that said, the three Deep Shadows fled East, escaping over the Glenhaven walls as fast as their weakened states would allow.

...

Once the three dark dragons chased after Rune, Blank fled back to the library as fast as he could and told Nellie and Emerald what happened. The three children then fled to the Palace to get help. Once the Elders heard what the three strange dragons had done, Hthey dispatched all the Palace Guardians to find the trio and Rune. The Guardians and their soldiers spent several hours scouring the entire city, and even part of the surrounding desert. But alas, they were unable to find the young dragon, or the strangers.

When Seraph heard about what happened, she fled straight to the Palace and burst through the Doors, frantic and searching for Hontus and her children. She found the three Elders, Hontus, Voden, and several other guardians in the Elders' chamber. Among the Elders were Mimet and Jules, Emerald's parents.

Mimet, like her daughter, had an Emerald hide, and a light Green underbelly. Her build was thicker than the average female's, but not quite bulky. She also had Grey Eyes, and a long, Dark Green Mane. She also had four, Dark Green horns atop her head, which curled downwards and were blunted. Various pieces of Gem-studded Jewelry decorated her body, one of which was a Red bangle around her neck.

Jules hide a vibrant yellow hide, with an electric blue underbelly. He was tall, and had a thin build. His blue horns curled downward on either side of his head like Ram's horns. His Cream-colored mane was neatly tied into a ponytail. He had Emerald eyes, and wore a Red bangle, like the other guardians.

Blank, Nellie and Emerald were in the chamber as well, the first two standing next to their father, and the latter girl standing between her parents, not saying a word, but clearly saddened.

"Where's Rune?" Seraph screamed.

"Calm down, Seraph." Attonita said sternly. "We were just about to get to that matter."

The Lightning Elder looked over at Blank.

"Now, tell us again, young one. What happened?"

The young dragon gulped in a bit of air. Seraph walked over next to Hontus. When she did, Nellie grabbed her leg and started crying. The Water dragoness comforted her as her son spoke.

"Well, after the three of them were talking, they removed their hoods and drew this strange black energy off of themselves like this."

Blank mimicked the motions the three dragons made.

"When they were finished, they turned into three dark, scary-looking dragons."

"They were Dark dragons!" Telus exclaimed. "I had a feeling they were untrustworthy!"

"Let the boy finish, Telus." Krystallos replied. "Go on, Blankridge."

"Okay. Anyway, after they removed their disguises, the big one said something about someone else wearing a 'shroud' thing nearby, and pointed to the window we were looking through. Then they broke out of the walls and surrounded us. The Grey one created a ball of dark smoke, and pulled a great amount of black energy off of Rune's body."

"What?" Attonita asked, incredulous.

"Afterwards, Rune's hide turned black, with these weird blue glyphs on his sides and shoulders. The three dragons looked surprised, and the woman called him 'Prince Rune'. Rune then blasted the ground with black smoke and flew away, but the adults chased after him. That's when I ran for help."

Tears welled up in Blank's eyes when he finished.

"Rune's gone and it's my fault! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have suggested we follow them!"

Hontus put a paw on Blank's shoulder.

"Take it easy, son. We forgive you."

"We never should have allowed them to stay in Glenhaven!" Telus bellowed. "Because of that foolish act, those damn Dark bastards have abducted an innocent child!"

"That cannot be helped now, Telus." Krystallos responded. "All we can do now is find these monsters of the dark and bring them to justice."

"I wouldn't be so quick to insult their race, Krystallos." Attonita replied.

"What do you mean, Milady?" Voden asked.

"It seems that Rune is a Dark dragon as well." She answered.

The other dragons in the room had looks of surprise and alarm, most notably Seraph and Hontus.

"That's ridiculous!" Seraph snapped. "Rune's a Purple dragon. He's always been Purple!"

"If what Blankridge said is accurate, Rune had the same disguise that the strangers had."

"No!" The Water dragoness shouted. "Maybe that Grey one cast a spell on Rune that corrupted him."

"Now _that_ is ridiculous." The Lightning Elder snapped. "If I was going to capture someone, why would I make them _more_ powerful?"

Seraph couldn't respond. She just turned her head to face the floor. The room got silent.

"So, Rune is a dark dragon." Mimet stated.

"That can't be! Rune's always been such a well-behaved child…" Seraph stammered.

"Don't get me wrong, Seraph." Attonita reassured. "I'm sure Rune is still the same Rune you've cared for these past five years. We seek to bring justice to the strangers for their _actions_, not because of their race."

Attonita gave a glance to Telus. "Right, Telus?"

Telus grunted.

"Right." The Earth Elder said, somewhat with chagrin. "Still, we need to find out where they might have taken Rune."

Krystallos looked at Blank again.

"Did you happen to hear where they might be headed next, young one?"

"Well," Blank began, "They said something about going to a place called the Pit of the Fallen to find someone named Cyrus."

"The Pit of the Fallen?" Jules asked. "What is that?"

"It's a crevice in the earth that leads straight to the underworld itself." Attonita stated. "For now, that's our only guess as to where they could be taking him."

The Lightning Elder looked betweenGuardians. "Who among you is willing to venture out into the world to bring back young Rune?"

"I'll go." Hontus said without hesitation.

"Are you sure, Hontus?" Attonita asked. "You may need to stay here to comfort your family."

"Of course I'm sure!" The Red dragon declared. "Rune is my son, whether by blood or not! "

"Alright then, you may go to rescue him."

"Send me as well." Voden stated."

"You?" Telus asked.

"Why not? The more Guardians sent to find Rune, the better. And besides, I like the young boy."

Telus looked over at Hontus. "Do you accept Voden's aid?"

"I trust Voden with my life. If he wants to help me, he's more than welcome." Hontus flashed Voden a sign of approval.

"Then it's decided. Tomorrow, Hontus and Voden shall depart for the Pit of the Fallen."

"Where will we find it?" Voden asked.

"It lies on the Northern continent, in the Deepest bowels of the Mountains of Inferdus. Take heart on your journey: That land is Dark dragon territory."

Voden and Hontus nodded in understanding. Telus glanced at Attonita and Krystallos, and then faced the Guardians.

"This meeting is over." He announced. "You may all leave."

All the Guardians and Hontus's family left the room. Blank and Nellie were clutching their mother, crying frantically. Their mother struggled to fight back tears herself. Emerald was crying too, but not nearly as hard as the others.

Once only the three Elders remained, and the doors to the chamber were shut, Telus glanced at the pool in the middle of the room. He focused all of his energy on the Pool and shut his eyes.

_Show me Rune_, he commanded with his thoughts. _Where is he?_

Krystallos and Attonita watched the Earth Elder for almost ten minutes as he tried to locate Rune. After that time ended, Telus opened his eyes and snarled. He struck the Pool of Visions in a fit of rage, spilling green water onto the floor around the pool

"Damn those Dark dragons!" He snarled. "And damn this infernal thing. Every time we attempt to search for that boy, we get nothing!"

"Destroying the pool won't warrant anything." The Water Elder snapped. "For now, we have to rely on our Guardians."

"I pray that the Ancestors guide them straight to Rune." Attonita said. Telus and Krystallos nodded in agreement.

"Rune is a dark dragon…" Telus said in astonishment. "I never would have guessed…"

"Does it change your opininon of him, Telus?" Attonita asked sternly. "He's still the same young boy we met five years ago."

"That isn't true." The Earth Elder replied. "For the longest time, we believed him to be a Purple dragon. The Rare breed that's able to accomplish many a great deed with incredible magic. But now..."

"Now we know he is a Black dragon, if what Blankridge said is correct." Krystallos added. "And if it _is_ correct, than that means that Rune is a descendant of one of the most powerful Dark dragons ever scene."

"That is only a legend." Telus replied. "That Dragoness never existed: She is only a Faetale."

"Believe what you wish, Telus." Attonita replied. "But Rune is Rune."

Telus refused to respond again. He only resumed attempting to find the young dragon with the Pool of visions.

...

Th Three Deep Shadows fled East as the sun began to set, and the afternoon shifted into night. The trio came to a landing in a patch of green land in the middle of the Desert far outside of Glenhaven's sight, so that they may rest for the night.

Albanion used his element, the power known as Flora, to summon a small patch of White-colored plants out of the ground. He then gathered a few of their leaves and used them to make a serum for the wound on his face.

As the Grey dragon did this, Elza proceeded to speak with great enthusiasm.

"This is truly unbelievable!" She exclaimed. "Prince Rune is alive! Praise be to The Great Shadow!"

"But how?" Albanion asked in bewilderment, applying the serum he made to his face. "We were there when he was trapped alongside Queen Elenar and the army of Darkstalkers within The Hive when it crashed into the earth."

"Well, Elenar's corpse was found, as were the bodies of many dragons," the dragoness responded. "But they never found Rune's body."

"That is because it was presumed he was crushed by the weight of part of the wreckage., and the remains of his body were burned into ashes in the inferno that was created in the aftermath. That is why we couldn't find the bodies of many of the dragons that died in the massacre."

"Perhaps, by some miracle, he survived." Aegis suggested. "Maybe The Great Shadow wanted him to live, and intervened."

"But why wouldn't he immediately make himself found when King Bane ordered what remained of The Hive be salvaged?" The Gred dragon queried. "Why would he disappear for five years, leaving us all to believe he is dead?"

"And why would he flee from, and even attack us?" Elza wondered. "I would never have expected him to do such a thing to you, Albanion. Or me, for that matter."

"These are questions for a later time." The Dark Brown dragon stated. "Right now, we must contact His Majesty immediately."

Albanion and Elza nodded in agreement.

Aegis focused for a moment and channeled his energy. He held out a forepaw and created an orb of darkness. He launched it into open air before the three dragons, where it hung in space. After a moment, the orb of darkness grew in size, and turned into a flat "Window" in the middle of the air.

"Lord Bane, are you there?" Albanion asked into the blank darkness.

After a moment, two Golden eyes appeared in the darkness. The eyes of the Deep Shadows' master, King Bane.

His voice was deep and flowed with absolute authority.

"Albanion?" He queried, unamusement in his voice.

Bane looked around at Elza and Aegis. All three of the Deep Shadows bowed their heads at him.

"Why have you three contacted me?" Bane asked, focusing on Albanion.

"My lord, we bring important news regarding your son." Albanion stated. "We have not found Prince Cyrus yet, but we now know his reason for running away."

"What is it, then?"

"Prince Cyrus is fleeing to the Pit of the Fallen. He seeks to revive Queen Elenar."

"Revive Elenar?"

Bane glared at Albanion, clearly skeptical of this revelation.

"Ridiculous. No one can return the dead to life."

The Grey dragon said nothing for a moment.

"Albanion, why have you stopped?" Bane demanded.

"Your highness, even if it is… impossible, Cyrus doesn't believe that. He could be traveling to the Pit of the Fallen to find a way at this very moment."

"Are you certain of this?"

"Not completely, my Lord, but it is the only lead we currently have at the moment."

Bane merely continued to glare at Albanion, who remained stonefaced.

"Very well. You have my permission to travel north to the Mountains of Inferdus to find Cyrus and stop him from enacting his foolhardy scheme. Is that all?"

"No, my Lord!" Elza exclaimed. "There is more."

"Why are you so energetic, Elza?" Bane asked, glaring at her. "That is unbecoming of you."

"I apologize, your highness." The dragoness responded bowing again. "It is just that, we've made an incredible discovery."

"And that would be...?"

"Prince Rune is alive!"

After Elza said that, Bane had a look of great skepticism.

"Impossible."

"Elza speaks the truth, my Lord." Aegis replied. "We discovered him while we were in Glenhaven."

"You Lie." Bane stated.

"Why would we lie about this, my lord?" Albanion snapped.

Bane just focused on Albanion.

"If Rne is 'alive', thenwhere is he now?" Bane queried coldy.

"Unfortunately, your highness, when we found him, he fled from us. We tried to catch up to him, but he attacked us to get away."

"Are you certain it was 'Rune'?"

"There was no mistaking it."

"And he managed to overpower you?"

"Well, we were lethargic from the day's events. And we did not wish to harm the boy."

Bane seemed to pause in thought for a moment.

"I refuse to believe such foolhardiness. You will resume searching for Cyrus. Let this nonsense fade from your memory."

"But my lord-!" Elza began.

"Those orders are absolute." Bane said coldly. "This conversation has ended."

And with that, Bane vanished from view, and the window of darkness faded into nothingness.

Once he was gone, Elza sighed in frustration.

"Why wouldn't Lord Bane believe what we said about Prince Rune?" She asked.

"Think about it, Elza," Aegis responded. "If you watched your son die, and believed he was dead for five years, only to be told he was alive, would you be so quick to accept it?"

"Even so, we cannot merely 'forget' what happened today." Elza snapped. "We simply _must_ find Prince Rune!"

"That would be disobeying a direct order from our master."

"That doesn't matter. Once Bane sees his other son alive and well, he'll practically thank us for our disobedience."

"Thank us?" Aegis laughed. "Surely you're joking."

"I don't joke, Aegis!"

"That's enough, both of you!" Albanion shouted.

"What do _you_ think, Albanion?" The dragoness asked.

The Grey dragon thought for a moment.

"Elza is correct. We will need to find Prince Rune and bring him to King Bane."

Elza smiled.

"Thank you, Albanion."

"However, that will have to wait until we've found Prince Cyrus. The King's orders are still orders. We will 'forget' today's incident until Cyrus has been found. Then, we will look for him."

"That sounds reasonable." Aegis said. Elza was displeased.

"But who knows what trouble could brew in the meantime. Suppose the Prince returns to Glenhaven. We'll no doubt have extreme difficulty getting back into the city after today's events."

"That is a concern for another day." The Dark Brown dragon stated. "Although, that reminds me of another matter. Albanion, why didn't you tell his Highness about the method we discovered to raise the dead?"

Albanion didn't say a word for a long while.

"Albanion?"

"There are some things he shouldn't know about, lest he begin to obsess," He finally said. "In the meantime, it is late. We will spend the night here, then leave for the Pit of the Fallen on the morrow."

...

Rune flew as far as he could until he became too tired to stay in the air. He had managed to fly for hours, traveling north all the way to the edge of the Arcus Desert, where it connected to the Fractured Hills.

The Fractured hills were a series of Hills and Valleys that stretched on for miles to the East and West, and even North to the Central Ocean. A great number of artificial towers and settlements were constructed throughout the Hills, with bridges connecting them all together. None of the settlements were as well-populated as one of the four great Dragon cities, but they were still well populated nonetheless. If a dragon flew in the sky miles in the air, it could see that all the settlements were connected together, froming a giant "wall" across the Fractured Hills.

The sun had set hours ago. The young dragon wandered around in the dark, looking for somewhere to spend the night. Unlike the Light dragons he had lived amongst for so long, Rune had the ability to see in the dark, as did all Dark dragons.\

At first, he only saw settlements on either side of the Fractured Hills, and he didn't want to risk getting seen by anyone. Eventually though, he found a cave in one of the Valleys, close to a waterfall that fell into a riverbank. It was good timing; it had started to rain.

Rune flew into the cave and came to a landing, shaking water off of his scales. He looked around in the cave for a moment to make sure no one else was there. It was empty, except for himself. He slumped over to one side of the back of the cave and sat down, starting to cry. Only the sounds of pouring rain, the waterfall, and his own sniffling filled the air.

"Why? Why did this have to happen to me?" He asked to no one in particular.

"I've always been so careful. I kept this secret for so long. Why did they have to find me? Why did Blank have to see what I really was? It's only a matter of time before everyone I know finds out that I'm a Black dragon!"

Rune struck the stone floor behind himself and started crying harder.

"Now I have to lose a family all over again! And Albanion and his ensemble will be hunting me down, too! It's only a matter of time before they find me?"

Rune curled up on the ground. "It's not fair!"

He just sat there, falling deep into misery. But soon, something happened he didn't expect. He heard a deep voice.

_Is this all that you plan to do?_

Rune jumped in surprise.

"Who's there?" He looked around for the source of the voice. Nobody else was there.

_Don't be afraid of me, young dragon._

"Who are you?" The Black dagon asked, getting on his guard.

_I am a friend. That's all that matters, Rune._

Rune bacame alamed.

"How do you know my name?"

_A great number of beings know your name. I'm one of the few who knows you're alive._

Rune didn't like this.

"What do you want from me?"

_I want to help you._

"Help me?" Rune was confused. "Help me how?"

_I've been watching you for a long time, Rune. You're afraid of being punished for your past deeds._

"What are you talking about?"

_Don't try to hide it, young dragon. You feel responsible for what happened to your people. You believe that if word gets out amongst the Dark dragons that still remain that you yet live, you will be hunted down and given severe retribution from those who've suffered because of you._

Rune didn't say anything.

_And the one to be the most wrathful of all will be your mother._

Rune gasped. "What do you mean?"

_Think, Rune. Your brother Cyrus is traveling to the Pit of the Fallen to bring Elenar back to life. He has the recourses and Magical ability to succeed. All he has to do is reach his destination. Soon, Queen Elenar will return._

Rune started to shiver.

"No….."

_Once revived, she will stop at nothing to hunt you down and punish you for your high treason. Or worse..._

Images of Rune's nightmare from the previous night returned to his head. The young dragon reimagained being swallowed whole by the Gigantic dragoness, and being sent down her throat to die in her belly.

"No no NO!" He shouted, hyperventilating.

Soon, the voice spoke again.

_There is a way to eliminate her anger, young dragon._

"How? Tell me!" Rune shouted.

_Atone for your crime._

Those words caught the young dragon off guard.

"What?"

_If you can reach Cyrus before he revives Elenar, you can convince your brother to let you help him. The both of you can revive Elenar together. Once she is alive again, there is a good chance that she'll be grateful for your deed, and forgive you of your past sins. She may even convince your father to pardon you as well._

Rune thought it over. Could this work? He started to get high hopes, when he realized something.

"But, I don't know how to raise the dead."

_Of course you do. Remember what Aegis was saying earlier?_

A swarm of memories entered Rune's head once again. He remembered the complex spell Aegis had described.

_I know that you can control Six of the Twelve elements. Your brother controls the other six. All you two would need to do is gather the gems needed and reach your destination._

"Okay, but how do I get to the Pit of the Fallen?"

_I will guide you on your way on the morrow. For now, you should get some rest, young dragon. You've had a rough day._

Rune felt a strange sensation come over his body. He became increasingly tired.

"What are you…. doing?", He asked, ending the question with a yawn. The voice chuckled.

_I am merely helping you fall asleep. Don't worry._

"Could you at least tell me who you are?" Rune laid down, now to tired to even lift his head.

_If you must know, I am an ancient dragon known as The Chronicler._

"The... Chronicler...?"

_I am a dragon who has looked over the Dragon race for hundreds of years, recording everything that has happened over those years, good and bad. When great times of crisis are ahead, I am able to step in and steer young dragons, such as yourself, in the right direction to avert said Crisis, or at least lessen their impact._

"If you... say so..."

Rune slipped into slumber, hearing one last sentence from the voice.

_Sleep well, Rune. Your journey has just begun._


	5. Act 1, Chapter 5

Act 1, Chapter 5

It was early in the morning in Glenhaven.

It was a few hours before Hontus would wake up and leave with Voden on their trip to pursue the dragons who abducted Rune. Blank had woken up early. He just couldn't get what happened out of his head.

"It's my fault he was kidnapped", he said to himself glumly.

Sure, his parents had forgiven him for forcing Rune to spy on the trio with him, but he still felt guilty about it. So, he came up with a plan: He'd chase after that trio of dark dragons and rescue Rune himself! Hey, he always wanted to go out and explore the world anyway. Now he had a good excuse.

The Orange dragon grabbed one of his satchels and filled it with the supplies he thought he'd need for the trip. Then, he left his room and started walking down the hallway.

Blank quietly snuck past his parents' chamber. He glanced inside the doorway to see Hontus and Seraph sleeping on their shared, straw mattress in the center of the room. Blank flashed back to the argument the two had gotten into when the family returned home...

...

"I can't believe you!" Seraph shouted angrilly at Hontus.

Late that night, Seraph and Hontus had gone into their chamber, thinking that Blank and Nellie had gone to bed. In truth, the two children only _pretended_ to be in bed: they were listening in on the argument just outisde the doorway.

"What?" Hontus asked, confused. "What's wrong, Seraph?"

"You told me you'd find Rune and talk to him." The Blue dragoness stated, glaring. This made her husband uncomfortable.

"Uh... Yes, I did." He replied. "But what does that have to do with this?"

"You never did talk with him, did you?… DID YOU?"

Hontus scratched the back of his neck, nervously. He was never good with these agruments.

"Well, work dragged on late. I couldn't find the time to-"

"Don't give me that excuse!" Seraph screamed. "All you do is patrol around the Palace, waiting for something to happen, which rarely does."

"Something _did_ happen!" Hontus snapped. "I was one of the Guardians who was sent out to find the three strangers when the kids ran for help!"

"But you DIDN'T find them."

"Seraph, I don't understand why you're getting angry with me."

"I'm angry because you didn't do what I asked you to do!"

As Seraph's voice escalated, Blank and Nellie jumped in wasn't often that their mother got so angry, but when she did, she terrified them.

"If you had gone to talk with Rune," She snarled, "there's a good chance none of this would've happened!"

"You're blaming _me_ for Rune getting kidnapped?" Hontus stated, getting irritated.

"No I'm not!"

"You practically just said so!"

The Water dragoness didn't say anything for a while. She just glared at Hontus. The Red dragon sighed, calming himself before he got too angry.

"Look, Seraph, this isn't getting us anywhere. Sure, maybe if I had found the time to talk to Rune about his nightmares, none of this would've happened. I'm sorry, love."

Seraph started to calm down some, tears forming in her eyes. Hontus continued.

"There's nothing I can do to change what's happened today. For now, all I can do to make amends is to bring Rune back home."

The Blue dragoness started crying harder.

"I just want our baby back." She said, sobbing.

Hontus embraced her, placing his head atop hers.

"And he'll _be_ back." He declared. "I promise you that. And this time, I'll be sure to keep my promise."

The Red dragon continued to hold his mate in that loving embrace as she burst into tears.

...

"You won't have to, Dad", Blank whispered to the sleeping Hontus. "Because _I'm_ the one who's bringing Rune back."

The Orange dragon tip-toed his way to the front of his family's dwelling. As he went on his way, he passed by Rune's room, which was now silent as the grave. Blank quietly pushed the door open and looked inside. He frowned at the sight of the vacancy.

For five years, ever since Rune was adopted into the family, Blank had seen the "Purple" dragon has his brother. The Orange dragon had made it a habit of bringing Rune with him on his adventures around Glenhaven, in the hopes of improving his brother's confidence a little. And whenever a school bully came around to harass Rune, Blank would always defend his brother.

He never imagined that Rune was really a Dark dragon. But that didn't matter. To Blank, Rune was his brother, one way or another.

"I'll get you back home, bro." Blank whispered as he closed the door. "I promise you."

The Orange dragon turned and continued tip-toeing towards the front of his family's dwelling.

The front of the dwelling was a large Den. The entire building was crafted into Mountain rock by Earth dragons: As such, the interior of Blank's family's Den was made almost entirely out of Grey Rock. Two large windows were carved out of the far wall, on either side of the Front door of the dwelling. A pair of Wooden desk sat on the side of the Den, which the three kids would often use to do their homework on.

Blank grabbed a Quill pen and scroll that sat on the desk to the left and wrote a message to his parents:

_Dear mom and dad,_

_It's my fault Rune's been kidnapped. So I decided to go after the trio who kidnapped him and bring him back home myself. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I didn't spend all this time training in the Temple to be a wuss. I'll return home with Rune as soon as possible._

_Blank_

The Orange dragon set the scroll somewhere he knew one of his parents would notice: He pocked a small hole in the note and draped it over the doorknob of the front door of the dwelling. Blank then started slowly opening the door to sneak out. He got the door about halfway open when he heard a voice.

"Where are you going?"

It was Nellie. Blank nearly jumped out of his hide.

"Nellie? Go back to bed." The Orance dragon whispered whispered. Much to his chagrin, his sister noticed the scroll on the door.

"What's that?" She queried.

"It's nothing. Go back to bed."

The Blue dragoness gave Blank a skeptical look. She reached over and grabbed the scroll.

"No, don't read it…" Blank grimaced. "Aw, crap."

After Nellie read the scroll, she glared at Blank, who flushed with emberassment.

"Are you out of your mind?" She yelled quietly. "You were going to go after those Dark dragons by YOURSELF?"

"That's none of your business." Blank stated sternly.

"Yes it is!" His sister snapped. "I'm worried about Rune too, but you don't see _me_ thinking of something this stupid."

"I'm going to save Rune whether you like it or not. Go ahead and tell Mom and Dad, I've made my decision."

"Oh, why do you always have to be so stubborn?" Nellie pouted for a moment.

Blank just turned to face the door, saying. "I'm leaving. Bye."

"Wait!" Blank sighed.

"Nellie, I've already told you, I'm-"

"At least let me go with you."

The Orange dragon's eyes lit up in shock.

"What?"

"I don't want you getting yourself hurt, and I know I can't stop you from going, so let me come too."

"Are you sure, Nellie?"

"I'm sure."

The Blue dragoness grabbed the Quill pen and started writing something underneath what Blank wrote. "Hurry up."

"I'm almost done." Nellie finished writing, set the Quill down, and taped the scroll back onto the wall. "Alright, let's go." The two young dragons quietly closed the door behind them and took off flying.

"So, where do we get started?" Nellie asked.

"Well, the Elders said that Pit place where the Dark dragons are going is to the far north." Her brothe answered. "Do you know which way is north, Nellie?"

"Well, no, but Emerald does."

The Orange dragon gave Nellie an odd look.

"Don't tell me you want Emerald to come along, too." He complained.

"Well, maybe she'll help us. She's always taken a liking to History books and Atlases."

"This coming from the girl who didn't want me to go at all."

"Oh, let's just go already."

...

The two young dragons flew to Emerald's family's dwelling on the Northwestern side of Glenhaven.

Since Emerald's family was the richest in the whole city, they were able to afford living in a massive stone mansion, which towered above most of the other dwellings.

Blank and Nellie flew around to the back of the dwelling, where Emerald's chamber was, and approached her window. The young Earth dragoness was sleeping near the window, on a large cotton mattress.

"Hey, Emmy!." Blank called into her room. "Emeraaaaaaaaald?"

It was no use. She was still asleep.

"Let me try something", Nellie said. She flew to the ground for a moment, but then came back with a few pebbles in her paws.

"What are you….?" Blank started to ask, but his sister cut him off.

"Watch."

The Blue dragoness tossed one of the pebbles at Emerald's snout. The Earth dragoness mumbled in her sleep, and rubbed her face instinctively. Nellie started tossing a few more pebbles, but she wasn't making much more progress."

"Let me try." Blank interjected. He grabbed a pebble and tossed it as hard as he could at Emerald's head, hitting her square in the forehead. She woke up with a start, rubbing her forehead.

"Ow! What the…?"

"Hey, Emerald!" Blank shouted.

"Huh?" The Earth dragoness turned to the window, and soon had a look of irritation in her eyes. "Blank? What in the world are you doing here at this time at night?"

"It's not just Blank." Nellie said, floating into view.

"Nellie? Why are you guys here?"

"We need to borrow a compass and a map." Blank ansered. Emerald became confused.

"Uh, why are you asking for that stuff from my window, and in the middle of the night, no less?"

"Because Blank and I are going to rescue Rune."

Now Emerald was _very_ confused.

"WHAT? I'd expect this kind of idiotic idea from Blank, but you too, Nellie?"

"Heeey!" Blank stammered. Nellie chuckled a little.

"Well, Blank was going to go on his own, so I decided to go with him to make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

"You two seriously want to try and fight three dangerous and powerful Dark dragons by _yourselves_?"

"Don't try to change our minds, Emmy." The Orange dragon snapped. Emerald rolled her eyes.

Well, I'm coming too."

"WHY?" Blank shouted.

"Don't get me wrong. This is a very bad idea. But you guys are my friends, and so is Rune. I want him back too."

"Are you sure, Emerald?"

"No, but I'm going anyway. Just let me get that map and compass."

Emerald wandered away from the window for a minute, and then came back with the items. She handed them to Nellie and proceeded to crawl out the window.

"We're going to get in so much trouble." Emerald sighed.

With that done, the three children started flying off to the north.

...

Rune woke up early the next morning. He immediately noticed he was hungry. The Black dragon also realized his disguise was still gone. So, he used his pent-up Dark energy to turn himself into a purple dragon again, and then went off to search for food. As he exited the cave, he looked around.

Last night's rain had caused puddles to mud to form allover the place, thought the greatest source of wat was still the Waterfall and nearby river. The scent of wet grass hung in the air, and the sky was almost completely covered in clouds for miles around.

Rune saw a small field mouse scurry across the clearing. He immediately sprung into action.

The mouse tried to get away, but it was hopelessly outmatched by the Purple dragon's speed. He grabbed the mouse in his forepaws and crushed its head. The body limped wildly around for a bit before becoming completely still in Rune's grip. He looked down at the dead creature, sighed, and popped it into his mouth.

_Brings back memories, doesn't it?_

The voice was back. The young dragon swallowed his meal and looked up at the sky.

"Chronicler?"

_You used to forage for food, just like this. Only back then, you had second thoughts about hunting smaller creatures. You nearly starved to death._

"How do you know so much about me?"

_I've told you before. I've been watching you as you have grown._ _But that is unimportant. What __**is**__ important is that you start traveling north through Fractured Hills. Make your way across. I trust you know about Gems, correct?_

Rune got up onto his paws.

"Well, sure. Red Gems heal a dragon's health, and Green Gems restore a dragon's energy."

_Correct. But also be on the lookout for Blue Gems. They can be used to boost the power of your magic to certain degrees._

"Why would I need to worry about that?"

_Because, dear Rune, there are scores of hostile animals that live in this world. Some only act on instinct to defend their territory, while other, more formidable creatures will pursue you across the earth._

As the Chronicler spoke, a strange noise started to fill the air behind Rune. It sounded like free-flowing energy was overflowing. A feeling of dread crept down the young dragon's spine as he slowly turned around. He gasped in shock.

A short distance away from him, a large pool of Black energy started forming on the ground, expanding outwards. It grew to be several yards wide, but then came to a stop, altough the energy appeared to keep flowing.

A moment later, half a dozen strange, black, _things_ started crawling out of the energy.

At first glance, they apeared to be small dragons, almost the same size as Rune, although with adult proportions and lacking in any horns. However, the creatures had silver, birdlike talons on the ends of their legs. Their slender bodies were covered in scales, although their wings and tails were covered in black feathers. Their beaks were lined with dozens of razor sharp teeth, and snake-like tongues danced among them. The creatures' eyes were a sickening Green color, and they had no pupils to speak of.

_Those are a prime example._

Rune leapt back in shock and disgust as the monstrous Black beasts started crawling towards him, hissing and shrieking.

"What are they?" He demanded, getting into a battle stance.

_Those are creatures called Crepsculi._

"Crepsculi?"

_Yes. A Crepsculus is a creature that is produced when a Dark dragon infuses a lower spirit into a mass of pure Dark energy._

"What?"

Before the young dragon could inquire further, one of the Crepsculi lunged at him, talons ready to slice through his scales. Rune rolled to the side moments before the monster could harm him, and got back into a defensive stance.

_Now is not the time to ask questions, young dragon. Now, you must FIGHT!_

Seeing no other option, the young dragon began blasting the Crepsculus that just flew past him with Electricity breath, sending it into spasms. As he did this, the other five monsters started rushing forwards to attack.

The young dragon immediately stopped his Lightning breath, turned to face the charging crepsculi, and unleashed an Earth blast at the lot of them, sending them all reeling backwards. Rune then immediately turned back around and attacked the first Crepsculi, slicing through the monster's throat with his talons before it could scurry away. Instead of a spray of blood, a small amount of Black energy flew from the creature's neck and dissipated into nothingness before it hit the grass. The Crepsculus then began to twich and scream in agony as it dissolved into black mist, leaving no trace of its existance behind.

Rune then turned around to face the other Crepsculi yet again. The monsters were crawling onto their feet again, clearly enraged. The young dragon quickly charged forwards and attacked the nearest monster with Fire breath. As the monster burned alive, its horrible metallic shrieking disoriented Rune. As he was distracted, the two nearest Crepsculi lunged at him, one of them sinking its teeth into the young dragons back.

Rune howled in pain as blood pooled around the beast's fangs. He then growled in rage.

"GET OFF ME!"

The young dragon used his Earth element to enhance his strength, and flipped himself over, smashing the Crepsculi on his back hard onto the dirt. The Creatures were crushed by Rune's weight and the force of the impact, and they slowly dissolved into nothingness.

Rune got back onto his feet just as the remaining three Crepsculi charged at him, ready to try and bite into him like the other ones. The young dragon's eyes were filled with rage as he opened his maw and struck the approaching beasts with Ice breath. The monsters were frozen in their tracks just a few feet away from Rune, who then ran forewards. He used his talons to smash through the Crepsculi's heads, roaring in anger the whole time.

Soon, the crepsculi dissolved away like the others, and Rune was left alone once again.

The young dragon sat down on the ground, breathing heavily. He proceeded to use his Water element to heal the wounds on his back.

_Well done, young dragon. _Chronicler commented. _Your days training in the Glenhaven Palace weren't wasted in the slightest._

"Thanks, I guess..."

Rune finished healing his wounds, and proceeded to stretch his back.

"So, I need to head north, right?" He asked.

_Correct._

"Alright." Rune was about to spread his wings and fly into the air, but The Chronicler interrupted him.

_It wouldn't do for you to fly through the sky and be seen by other beings. You should stay hidden on the ground, and fly only when necessary._

"But how will I find my way north?" The young dragon asked.

_I'll grant you a new magic ability to help you find your way._

At first, nothing happened, but then Rune energy fill his mind, giving him a headache. Soon, the energy subsided, but the headache remained.

"What did you do?" Rune asked, rubbing his forehead.

_You could say I implanted a magical "compass" into your mind. You will now be able to tell what direction you're traveling along._

"Did you have to give me a headache?"

The Chronicler chuckled.

_Don't worry. It will fade in a few minutes. But enough of this banter. You need to get going._

Rune used his new "compass" ability to face north. He saw the Numerous hills and Valleys stretch on before him. At least two Technological bridges hung high in the air.

Rune sighed, and began to venture forth

"Well, here goes."

...

"Hontus, come here!" Seraph shouted from the front of the dwelling. Hontus woke with a start.

"Huh?" The Red dragon rose up from his bed and got to his feet immediately.

"Seraph, what's wrong?"

"It's the kids! They're gone!"

"What?"

Hontus ran into the front of the dwelling. Seraph was standing by the door, completely distraught. She had a small scroll in her paws. She handed it to him, and he read it to himself:

_Dear mom and dad,_

_It's my fault Rune's been kidnapped. So I decided to go after the trio who kidnapped him and bring him back home myself. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll return home with Rune as soon as possible._

_Blank_

_P.S., I'm coming along to keep an eye on Blank. I'll make sure he doesn't do something stupid.. Well, stupider than going to rescue Rune. I'm sorry about this. I'll accept whatever punishment you give us when we get back._

_Nellie_

Hontus stood there dumbstruck.

"What could have possibly come over them to do something like this?" Seraph asked, shaking.

"That's what _I'd_ like to know." Hontus commented.

"Why do we keep losing our children?"

"Calm down, Seraph. They couldn't have gotten too far." Hontus opened the front door. "Come on, let's go meet with Voden at the Palace."

Hontus and Seraph flew straight to the Palace without a hitch. They practically ran inside, searching for Voden. They accidentally knocked a few members of the Guard to the floor in their haste

"Sorry about that!" Hontus called to them.

Hontus and Seraph saw Voden near the Elders' chamber. He was in conversation with Master Telus, Mimet and Jules.

"…Are you sure you haven't seen her today, father?" Mimet asked Telus.

"I haven't seen Emerald since her training session yesterday, dear." He responded.

"Where could that girl be?" Jules queried, concerned. "It's not like her to vanish like this."

"Voden! Master Telus!" Hontus called to them. He and Seraph came to a stop right before the others, panting.

"What is the problem?" The Earth Elder asked.

"Blank and Nellie have run away to rescue Rune by themselves!" Seraph exclaimed.

"That's ridiculous!" Telus said.

"They left this note on our door." Hontus responded, holding it up to Telus. He took the note and read it out loud to the others.

"What would possess them to do this?" Voden asked. Mimet and Jules looked at each other.

"Jules, you don't think that Emerald went along with them, do you?"

"Well, she doesn't seem to be around here in Glenhaven, but we can't assume." The Lightning dragon answered.

"Whatever the case," Telus began, "It seems Hontus and Voden have a new objective: find the children before they get caught by the Dark dragons, or worse."

"I'm going with them," Seraph said. Hontus looked at Seraph.  
>"Are you sure about that, love?"<p>

"Hontus, all _three_ of our children are in danger, now! There's no way I'm staying behind in Glenhaven to ponder their fate. I'm going to rescue my babies!"

"I think either Jules or Mimet should come with us as well." Voden added.

"Why's that?" Mimet asked.

"Well, we don't know for sure where Emerald is at the moment. She could still be in Glenhaven somewhere, or she could be with Blank and Nellie on their rescue mission. Since we don't know for sure, one of her parents should stay behind to look for her, while the other comes with us."

"I'll go with you." Jules said. "I have a vast knowledge of the lands, and can track our direction"

Jules looked over at his wife.

"Mimet, you stay here and look for Emerald."

"Alright." She agreed.

"In any case, you four should leave immediately." Telus declared. Hontus, Voden, Seraph and Jules nodded in unison, and the four of them turned and made their way out of the Palace.

"May the ancestors guide your path!" Mimet and Telus called out to them.

The four dragons left the Palace and immediately took to the skies.

"Jules, which way is north?" Seraph shouted. Jules turned a bit in the air and took off.

"This way! Follow me!" And so, the four dragons, two of fire, one of water and one of lightning, made their way north.

...

Far to the Northwest, in a mighty expanse of land known as the Raunn Jungle

A young black dragon sat on a log, looking over a map of the world. At first, one could mistake this dragon for Rune. However, this young dragon was different.

This dragon's underbelly was Magenta instead of Grey. He had the same birthmarks, except his glowed red, not blue. He hade the same mane, except his was silver. He had four horns; two large ones that curled backwards on his head, and two more smaller horns behind his jaw that curled under and forwards. And his eyes were a bluish-green color.

The young dragon scratched his head.

"Stupid map! Where am I?" He tried studying it harder, but was still unsure of where he was. "Oh, forget this!"

He crumpled up the map and stored it in a brown sack that hung at his side. He got off the log and looked at his surroundings. He was completely surrounded by jungle thicket for miles on every side. Various birds and other non-sentient animals could be heard all around, following instinct to find their way through the Jungle. The dragon sighed.

"I really should have stayed with the others instead of running off to explore the jungle."

He felt his stomach: it caused him minor pains.

"I'm too hungry to fly. Maybe I can find something to eat around here." He looked around, picked a direction to take, and started walking.

Suddenly, he heard something roar loudly nearby that made him jump in his hide.

What the-?" was all he could say before a giant monster jumped out of the canopy and right over him.

The monster resembled a giant lizard, with giant and powerful hind legs. It's front legs resembled that of a dragon's, but with only two talons on each paw. It's tail had spikes on the end, which were stained with blood.

The beast roared ferociously at the young dragon and charged with incredible speed at him. Normally, he would have been frightened. Instead, he let it charge at him, a smirk on his face. Once it got dangerously close, a wondrous event occurred.

The entire world appeared to turn blue in color. The charging monster suddenly went from incredibly fast to barely moving at all. The young dragon casually stepped around to the side of the monster and slashed at its side with his talons.

After he did this, the world returned to normal. The beast continued it's rampage, not realizing its supposed prey had moved until it was too late. It violently crashed into a tree that the dragon was standing in front of just a moment before, blood pouring from its wound. As the beast struggled to get up, the dragon waved a paw in the air. Almost instantly, several thick vines burst out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the beast's limbs, forcing it in place.

As the beast hopelessly tried to break free, a fifth vine burst from the ground and wrapped around the its thick neck, tightening and tightening until it's neck snapped and the creature struggled no more.

The young dragon approached the dead creature, an idea popping into his head. He took a bite out of the flesh of one of the beast's hind legs, but then spat the torn flesh out, nearly throwing up.

"Gross! There's no way I'm eating _this_!" He grimaced.

The young dragon then heard something small moving nearby. He looked up, and saw a small squirrel jumping about in a tree. The young dragon got another idea. He whistled to the squirrel, his eyes starting to glow green.

The squirrel stopped moving and looked down at the dragon, seemingly understanding him. The dragon motioned with his paw to the squirrel, telling it to come up to him. The unwitting creature climbed down the tree and came to a stop right in front of the dragon. He then picked the squirrel up, stuck the whole thing into his mouth, and proceeded to chew it.

"Mmmmmmm.." He said, sitting on the ground, happily enjoying his meal. Once he finished eating, he got back onto his feet.

"That was _much_ better!"

He then proceeded to continue walking. Suddenly, someone spoke to him from out of nowhere.

"Didn't your parents teach you not to abuse magic?"

"Huh?" The dragon looked around. No one was there. The young dragon shrugged, and turned to keep walking.

Suddenly, an adult dragon appeared in a cloud of Black smoke and grabbed the young dragon by his tail, lifting him into the air.

The adult had a Crimson hide and a grey underbelly. He wore a Dark grey robe that covered most of his body. His two orange horns grew backwards and downwards, curling down his neck. His eyes and mane were a poison green color, the later of which shot out from his head and neck in multiple spikes.

The young dragon shook wildly, trying to get free of the adult's grip.

"Let me go, Wraith!" he yelled angrily. Wraith just shook his head.

"Honestly, your highness, you shouldn't flaunt your powers so much." The Dark Red draogn scolded. He glanced over at the corpse of the lizard beast by the tree.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You didn't even clean up after yourself."

"Alright, I'll clean it up!" The prince yelled. "Just let go of my tail!"

Wraith sighed. He snapped two of his talons together, and vanished in a cloud of smoke. The prince fell to the ground, hitting his head against a stick. The adult dragon reappeared a few feet to the left, chuckling as his young companion got back up to his feet.

"That's not funny, Wraith!" he shouted angrilly.

"Of courrse it is, your highness." He responded, smirking.

"And I told you before, Wraith; Call me 'Edge'!"

Wraith looked at the prince sternly.

"Whatever you say, 'Edge'. I believe you were about to get to cleaning up after yourself." He pointed at the corpse. The Prince grumbled and got to work.

After waving his paws around a bit, the vines around the beast's limbs and neck vanished back into the ground. Next, the corpse of the beast started to sink into the ground, and dirt started piling on top of it. Soon, the monster was completely buried before the tree. Only a small lump on the earth was there to hint that the creature was buried there.

Once the young dragon was done, Wraith started clapping his with his forepaws.

"Excellent." He said, smiling. "Even if you run around using magic all willy-nilly, at least you're able to use it with little to no effort."

"Yeah, I _am_ pretty awesome." The Prince said smugly as he walked back to Wraith. Once he got within reach, Wraith clunked the Black dragon on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You have _got_ to learn to stop being so prideful, your highness." Wraith remarked, glaring. The Prince only grumbled, rubbing his head.

"This brings me to my next complaint: Why did you think it was a good idea to explore the jungle without me or Lilith?"

"Well, I brought a map with me…" The young dragon said nervously.

"And did it help you get you back to camp?"

"Er….."

"It didn't, did it!"

"Uh, I guess not.."

The Prince hated it when Wraith got like this. He trusted his tutor with his life, but the Crimson dragon was almost always lecturing him about following rules and using magic properly.

Wraith and the young dragon started walking down the jungle canopy. Wraith was rambling about something or other, when the Prince spotted something unusual growing in a patch of grass. Curious, he ran up to it.

At first, it appeared to be an ordinary rose. However, it was far from ordinary: It's bulb glowed a shining white light, it had no thorns on it, and the stem appeared to be made of crystal. Edge took a liking to it, and proceeded to lift the plant and a bit of the dirt it grew in out of the ground and into his brown sack., careful not to crush it too much.

"What are you doing, your highness?" Wraith asked, annoyed that he wasn't listening to his lecture.

"It's a rare Serenity Rose!" The Prince declared. "I'm gonna give it to Tina as a gift."

Wraith rolled his eyes. He was not at all amused by the prince's childish crush on that girl.

"I'm trying to teach you important life lessons, and you're _picking flowers_!" Wraith grimaced. "You know what? You can make your way back to camp on your own."

The young dragon's eyes lit up in alarm.

"What?" He shouted.

"Well, perhaps not _completely_ on your own. But first…" The Dark Red dragon summoned a orb of darkness in his hands. The Prince groaned. He knew what his tutor was about to do.

Wraith fired the orb at the young dragon, covering him in a fog of darkness for a moment. When it cleared, the Prince's appearance had changed. He now had a Purple hide, with a bright yellow underbelly. His horns had turned bright yellow as well. His eyes were now the color purple, to match his hide. And his mane became shorter, and turned the color Gold.

"I _hate_ this disguise!" The young dragon protested. "Why do I have to pretend to be some stupid purple dragon?"

"Because purple dragons are known to wield multiple elements instead of just one." Wraith answered. "Furthermore, we can't have you running around as a Back dragon. If your father's minions didn't find you first, than some prejudiced light dragons, like the Darkstalkers, would hunt you down like an animal and kill you!"

The now-Purple dragon only rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, no that we have _that_ out of the way…" The Crimson drake waved his paw in the air. Another orb of darkness appeared in midair. He shot his paw forward, and the orb of darkness flew down the jungle canopy, twisting left and right along the path and leaving a trail of smoke behind.

"…follow this trail to get back to the camp."

"Can't you just teleport me there?"

"Nope, that would ruin the point of this exercise. Try to get there before the trail vanishes completely. Remember to use any Gems you see on the way." After he said that, Wraith vanished in another one of those clouds of smoke.

"Hey, get back here!" The Prince angrily yelled. Wraith only spoke to him one last time.

"Better get a move on if you don't want to get lost, Cyrus!"

And with that, the air fell silent again.

"I said to call me Edge!" the prince exclaimed. He grumbled some more before setting off to follow the trail of darkness.

"Well, here goes."

...

**Rune, a prince of dark dragons long thought to be dead, is journeying towards the Pit of the Fallen to find his brother and help him revive their mother, Queen Elenar.**

**The trio of Albanion, Elza and Aegis are traveling to find the missing prince Cyrus to return him home.**

**They are being followed by the trio of young dragons Blank, Nellie and Emerald, who believe Albanion and his ensemble have kidnapped Rune.**

**Yet another group, Hontus, Voden, Seraph and Jules, are traveling to find their runaway children and rescue Rune from Albanion's group.**

**And all the while, prince Cyrus is finding his way through the Raunn jungle to meet his yet-to-be-seen companions as he makes his way to the Pit of the Fallen.**

**Who will get to the Pit of the Fallen first?**

**Who is this Chronicler, and why is he helping Rune?**

**Will Queen Elenar be brought back to life?**

**Well, I'm not about to spoil the plot, suckers!**

**Please send me feedback to make this a better story.**

**Tenebra ecce Veritas.**


	6. Act 1, Chapter 6

Act 1, Chapter 6

The previous evening, on the Veros outskirts.

The Veros outskirts was a massive Plain that spread across most of the Northern continent. It was better suited for sustaining plants than the Arcus desert was to the south, but not nearly as well as some of the Greener landmasses of the world.

Deep within this massive land, sat an aged dragon before a campsite.

A large pack sat a short distance away from the rolling flames next to the old man. He was wearing a light brown robe around most of his body. He had a purple hide and a dark yellow underbelly. His face was clearly worn with age. His grey mane fell to the bottom of his neck, and a scruffy beard sat atop his chin. His golden horns, which must have once shone brightly, were now a much paler tone, curled backwards behind his eys. His left horn was missing its tip. The man's wings were worn with the many years and battles he'd seen in his lifetime.

The old man was sitting before the fire, watching the stars in the sky. His gaze was focused on the massive constellation of a mightly dragon that sat prominently in the heavens. The planet's two moons were a good distance away from the constellation.

"Lovely evening." He said, smiling. "And it seems the Night will be arriving soon."

As the old man continued his stargazing, someone spoke to him. It was an ancient, commanding, yet worn voice.

_There is no time for stargazing._

The Aged dragon flinched slightly, but wasn't startled.

"Ah, my lord." He said calmly. "What brings you to me tonight?"

_A great and terrible thing has occured._

"Terrible?" The old man became concerend. "How so?"

_Young Rune has left the city of Glenhaven, and has vanished from our ability to sense him._

Immediately, The aged dragon bolted upright.

"NO! If he's left Glenhaven, then..."

_Then HE has no doubt begun clouding his mind with lies._

"I've got to find him! Before he becomes His pawn!"

_No._ The voice commanded.

"No? What do you mean 'no'? Rune is in danger!"

_There are other, more recent matter that need attending._

"Which would be...?"

_For one thing, we have located Cyrus. He is deep within the Raunn Jungle with his entourage._

The aged dragon sighed.

"Good. It will be easy to find him and stop him, then."

_Then, there is the other matter. Bane shall be launching his attack on the city of Warfang before the morrow ends._

The old man didn't respond.

"What shall we do about the two of them?" He asked.

_Go to Warfang, and try to put a stop to Bane's madness. Perhaps he will listen to you._

"And what of Cyrus and Rune?"

_We shall attend to Cyrus, for now. As for Rune, we will need to find_ _the ones who have left to search for him._

"Do you know where they are?"

_They have left Glenhaven, and have thus steped out of our reach to sense them._

"Of course.."

The aged dragon proceeded to gather his belongings and douse the fire with Water breath.

"Well, I shall begin my travel to Warfang, then."

The old man turned and began to head West to Warfang.

_Make haste,_ the voice advised,_ for the Night shall soon be upon us._

...

Midday, in the Fractured Hills

Rolling hills and plains of grass were carved open by vast canyons that gaped open like wounds in the earth. Massive stone bridges arched over the gaps, so huge that buildings were perched atop them. People roamed the streets that curled through the structures, carts and wagons trundling across the roads to the other side of the bridge built city.

On one section of the city, somewhere in the center of the many hills and valleys, stood a large School, constructed entirely of fine stones. It was surrounded by a large Iron gate, with a playground just behind the School building. Dozens of young dragons of various ages ran about in the playground: playing various games, messing around with wooden toys, exploring the Jungle Gym, and other childish pasttimes.

On one side of the playground, three young dragonesses were playing with wooden dolls. Their names were Jessica, Belle, and Emberella.

Jessica was a Fire dragoness, and roughly nine years old. She had a Red hide with various patterns of orange flames covering her chubby body. She had yellow eyes, and three Orange horns shaped like lightning bolts atop her head. She had a short Orange mane, and wore small yellow bands around her horns.

Belle was a Time dragoness, and was the same age as Jessica. She had a Golden hide, and a Bronze underbelly. She had Brown eyes, and four horns: Two that curled backwards and upwards on the top of her head, and two smaller horns that curled in the opposite direction behind her snout. Her yellow mane fell down to her snout, and partially covered her left eye.

Emberella, or Ember for short, was a Memory dragoness, and about eight years old. She had a Pink hide, and an underbelly that was a lighter shade of pink. Her Wing membranes were the same color as her underbelly, while her Eyes were Royal Blue. Her thick yet short yellow horns curled backwards and sideways past her head. She had a somewhat wavey Purple mane that fell down to her torso. A small, Gold-studded necklace hung around her neck, with a small Rd Gem eblazoned in the center. A glowing, Purple glyph shaped like a crab was imprinted on each of her back hind legs.

The three girls were having a pretend teaparty with their dolls. A small wooden toycase sat near the Pink dragoness. Each of the girls had a small cloth satchel that sat on the ground nearby.

"Want some more tea, Mrs. Topsy?" Ember asked, having her doll offer a small tea kettle to Jessica's toy.

"Why yes I would, Mrs. Periwinkle." The Red dragoness replied, smiling She took the teacup and pretended to poor tea into a tiny cup.

Belle had her doll hold up a bowl of "sugar cubes" to the others.

"Would you ladies care for some sugar?" She asked. Jessica nodded her doll in the Golden dragoness's direction.

"Why yes I would, Mrs. Abby."

The three dragon cubs giggled as they played pretend.

"This is fun," Jessica declared, "isn't that right, Mrs. Topsy?" She nodded her doll's ehad in aggrement.

"Mrs. Periwinkle is having fun too." Ember replied, doing the same notion with her doll.

"Mrs. Topsy always throws the best parties!" Belle declared.

"Why thank you." Jessica had her doll say, making it curtsy.

Suddenly, one of the schoolteachers called out to the girls.

"Emberella!"

The Pink dragoness got up and looked over at the teacher who spoke.

"Yes, Mr. Ternby?" She asked.

Ternby was a Water dragon in his mid-thirties. He was standing a good distance away from the trio, over by the backdoor of the school.

"Pack up your things and come here, sweetie." Ternby stated. "Your mother's here to pick you up early."

"Awww..." Ember gathered her dolls from her friends and packed them in her toybox. "Sorry, girls..."

"It's okay." Jessica replied, helping the Pink dragon cub pack her things.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Ember." Belle added.

The pink dragoness hugged her two friends and turned to walk towards Ternby.

"Bye." She said to them.

"Bye, Ember." They responded, waving.

As Ember walked up to Ternby, she saw an adult Memory dragoness standing next to him. It was her mother, Sarah.

Sara had a Pink hide and a light pink underbelly. She had Brown eyes, and two Yellow horns that curved backwards on her head. She had a long Royal Blue mane, and a short, beaklike snout. A gold necklace with a Red Gem in the center hung around her neck, and a Purple symbol shaped like a crab was imprinted on each of her back hind legs, just like the ones on her daughter.

"Hello, dear." Sarah said warmly. The dragon cub immediately hugger her mother's foreleg.

"Hi, Mom." She replied happily.

"Did you have fun today?"

"Uh-huh. Mrs. Topsy threw another great teaparty for Mrs. Abba and Mrs. Periwinkle!"

Sarah chuckled.

"That sounds wonderful. Mrs. Topsy sounds like a lovely host. Now come on, let's go home."

"Okay, Mom." The dragon cub smiled up at the schoolteacher. "Bye, Ternby!"

"Don't forget to finish your homework, Emberella." Ternby stated.

"Okay!"

The dragon cub followed her mother out of the school.

Sara and her husband, another Memory dragon named Graham, were the current leaders of the Fractured Hills settlements. Twelve years ago, she was the Princess of the clan of Cancer. But after the conflict known as the Twilight War ended, the dragon clans had to disband, leaving many royal families with small remnants or their original power. In Sarah's case, she was left with rulership over the villages of the fractured hills. She was no longer a Monarch, but she was still the Ruler of the many hills andValleys.

For a time, Sarah and Ember walked along the path that led to the market place. For most of the time they walked, they were met with the smells of the mole vendors, trying to haggle their way into a bargain to make a quick coin.

"What did you learn in school today, Emberella?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, you know, the usual.." The dragon cub answered. "Math, History.."

"Well, when you get home, I want you to get straight to your homework."

Ember rolled her eyes, but not obviously enough her mother to see it

"Yes, Mom."

The older dragoness smiled at her daughter, but then spotted the person she was looking for out of the corner of her eye. It was Graham, her husband.

Graham was a male Memory dragon. He was surprisingly slim: slimmer even than his mate. He had a Light brown hide, and a yellow underbelly. He had Blue eyes, and a short, well-groomed Blue mane. His red horns were short, and bent forwards like small Lightning bolts. He worve various pieces of bronze armor about himself: Being Sarah's mate, he was the captain of the village's guard patrol.

Graham was speaking to several other members of the guard, who had just caught a shoplifter trying to make off with a sack of stolen Lifegems.

"Oh look their's your father" Sara said as she approached the Brown dagon. She greeted Graham by giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Why hello there, Sarah." He chuckled, hugging the dragoness with a wing and a smile.

"Hi, Daddy," Ember declared, hugging her father's foreleg.

"And if it isn't my daughter." Graham smiled even wider. "Did you have a great day at school, Emberella?"

The young dragon cub then began describing the things that happened during her school day. As this happened, none of the members of the group could've realized what was happening at that very moment.

All around the village, in almost every populated area, massive black pools started appearing in the middle of the ground. And out of them crawled hideous, Black-hided monsters.

Crepsculi.

Some of the creatures were small in stature: No larger than a young dragon. But several others were almost as big as an adult dragon, and had incredibly bulky frames and four sets of wings. Their roars could induce headaches within moments of being heard by nearby beings, and they seemed to command their smaller brethen.

The creatures spread out like a virus, attacking the nearest villagers they could see. It didn't take long for screams of terror to fill the air allover. A mass panic ensued, with Dragons and Nondragons alike fleeing in terror. Many of the creatures tore carriages and wagons to pieces, scattering debris far and wide. A good number of the villagers were able to flee, but some of the less-agile ones unfortunately fell prey to the monsters, and were horrificly torn to pieces.

Graham and Sarah soon became aware of the danger themselves when a cluster of nearly a dozen of the Crepsculi attacked the marketplace.

"What in the Ancestors' name?" Graham shouted as the beasts charged forwards.

Emberella grabbed hold of her mother's forelegs and held on for dear life, trembling in fear at the sight of the Black beasts. The nearby Guardsmen immediately began to fight back, the dragons striking with their elemental breaths, and the Cats unleashing a storm of Arrows in the beats' path.

As the battle began, Graham imemdiately ran forwards to aid his warriors. Sarah, in the meantime, turned to a pair of Guardsmen that had yet to join the battle: A Fire dragon, and a Cheetah, both dressed in armor.

"I want you two to get my daughter to safety." She commanded. "Immediately!"

"Yes, Milady." The two said in unison.

"NO!" Ember protested, hugging Sarah tighter. "I wanna stay with you, Mom!"

Sarah, slightly saddened, pulled her daughter off of herself.

"Emberella, it's too dangerous for you here." She said solemnly. "I need you to go somewhere safe."

"But what about you and Dad?" The dragon cub asked. The Pink adult sighed.

"We'll be fine." She replied. "We'll see you later, dear."

"Promise, Mom?"

"Promise."

"Okay..."

Ember let turned and left the area with the two Guardsmen. Sarah, in the meantime, turned and joined in the fight against the beasts.

Graham and the surrouding Guardsmen had almost finished vanquishing the Black-hided beasts. The Guard Captain breathed a sigh of relief as the last of the monsters in the immediate area was slain by an arrow to the skull, and faded into nothingness.

"Thank the Ancestors they're gone!" A nearby Guardsman declared.

"We're not done yet." Graham replied. "There're still many more of these beasts that need to be slain before-"

The Brown dragon was cut off when one of the other Guardsmen screamed in horror.

The collective Black energy from the multiple slain creatures started pooling together, forming a gigantic, monstrous creature. Graham looked on in horror as the new beast rose up and released a mighty roar.

"Oh Lord Spyro... PLEASE PROTECT US!"

Following the cheetah and Dragon guardsmen, Emberella tra eled through several streets. But it wasn't until the fighting became truly fierce in one street in particular.

The scene before Emberella and the guards could truly be described as hellish. All around her lay the bodies of the dying bodies of dragons, cheetahs, and moles, and all around them lay the small black creatures. The creatures were all around the body of a dying Earth black creatures leapt onto the helpless drake and tore him to pieces, spilling his blood and flesh allover the gorund.

Frozen in fear, Emberella couldn't keep her eyes of the scene, screaming in fright. The ear-piercing scream caught the attention of almost two dozen of the beasts.

Most of them were the same small ones as seen all around the village, but a few of them were larger, rivaling the size of a teenaged dragon. Their hides were covered almost completey in Black scales as hard as Armor, and they had two Cat-like arms protruding from their elongated torsos.

The guardsmen took their battle positions, the Fire dragon barring his teeth whilst the cheetah notched an arrow into his bow and aimed it at four of the armed black creatures.

The creatures immedietly began their attack, the smaller creatures making ear splitting shrieks whilst they charged. The fire dragon immededitly jumped into the crowd of creatures and began setting them ablaze.

Emberella meanwhile stood behind the cheetah, who had already let go of a few arrows into the crowd of monsters. The battle seemed to be one as The fire dragon had taken out over nine of the small dark creatures until everything went wrong.

Two dark pools appeared besides the cheetah catching him completely off guard and knocking him off his feet in fear

"WHAT IN ANCESTORS" Was all he could register before the four armed creatures appeared before the cheetah, the first of the creatures used all four of his arms to pick up the cheetah as it stared at him with Malevolent eyes, ready to pull apart the archer and use his legs as a toothpick, while the other one had helped the smaller beasts deal with the much larger fire dragon.

Emberella was completly fear struck, by this time the Cheetah was on the ground, blood running down onto the street after the four armed dark creatures had torn his arms off and ran off to help its bretheren deal with the fire dragon. The Cheetah though was still alive looking at his two arms which were currently lying besides him, his blood pooling beside his torso.

The Red dragon had been utterly bested, the four armed creatures having held him down as the much smaller ones left bites all over his body.

"IF IM DYING THEN YOUR COMING WITH ME." He yelled out as he launched a massive fireball that hit all of the armored beasts, killing them while the remaining smaller black ones had bitten into his neck, killing him.

The cheetah watched as his comrade fell, he looked at Emberella and with the last amounts of strength he could muster said

"Run."

And that is just what she did, Emberella quickly ran away from the horrific scene while the nine remaining crescupili chased after Emberella. Seeing no other option available to her, she spread her wings and took flight, fleeing from the village as fast as she could.

...

Rune had spent the better part of the day traveling through the Fractured Hills.

An incredible number of those strange black creatures seemed to be swarming the entire area that he had to travel through. He received a few wounds along the way, but always managed to find Red Gems to heal himself.

Out of all the elements at his disposal, Rune found that his Lightning breath was the most useful. With it, he was able to ensnare the monsters that came after him and toss them off of the many cliffs he came across. So, he used all the Blue Gems he could find to make it more powerful. During the later hours, he could hear what sounded like great struggles taking place allover the bridges high above him. However, he had no time to find out what was going on.

The Sun shone out in the middle of the sky once Rune had made hit all the way north to the other end of the Hills. When he got there, he found himself on a large, wide cliff.

The cliff stood at least three hundred feet hight, overlooking a massive body of water far below. This was the Central Ocean: The Ocean stretched onwards in all directions, extending outwards to the distant horizon. When Rune looked to the East and West, the Hills seemed to continue on for eternity in either direction.

_You have done well to make it through your first obstacle, young Rune. _The Chronicler had returned yet again.

"Thank you, Chronicler."

Rune looked down the cliff face. There was a small white beach far below him. The beach extended across the entirety of the northern tip of the He was about to jump to glide down, when a thought occurred to his head.

"Chronicler, a while ago, when those Crepsculi attacked me the first time, you told me that they're produced when a dark dragon infuses spirits with dark energy."

_That is correct._

"Okay. But... where are they all coming from? And who's creating them?"

"_They are being summoned into our world from the next one, to serve under a Powerful Dark dragon. One who strikes fear even into the hearts of his own kind._

Rune's eyes widened.

_You know exactly who it is, don't you, young dragon._

Rune bent his head down.

"My father." He declared solemly.

_Correct_

Rune had not thought about his blood father, a dragon known as Bane, in ages. Not that there was much to remember. He only had small fragments at best. He remembered how Bane seemed to always have to leave their home, the now-fallen city called The Hive, for entire months at a time. The city was ruled over by Rune's grandfather, King Urobos, while his mother Elenar had the task of looking after Rune and Cyrus. Now that Rune thought about it, he actually had more memories of Urobos than he had of Bane:

Urobos was an aged Black dragon, with a Magenta underbelly. A Blue Glyph shined on each of his upper forelegs: An Hourglass, the sign of Clan Capricorn. His great wings were riddled with holes in the membranes; signs of many great battles in his lifetime. He had a great white mane, which connected to a thick beard on his jaw. His eyes were and Emerald color, and his Golden horns curled back around his head.

Urobos towered over most other dragons, even his fellow Elders. But despite his formidability, he was kind and wise old man. He always had a warm smile upon his face, and was always willing to lend his time and efforts to aid those who need it. For a moment, Rune began to look back to the days he spent under his grandfather's tutelage.

_Now is not the time to let your mind wander, young dragon_, The Chronicler scolded.

Rune shook his head, embarrassed that he dallied.

"Where do I go from here?"

_Glide down to the beach. I will show you what to do next from there._

Rune walked to the edge of the cliffside and prepared to jump into the air, but stopped himself when he heard what sounded like a faint cry.

"Help!"

Rune spun quickly spun around, but saw no one nearby. He then looked up into the sky, and was perplexed to see a small pink dragoness being chased by a flock of nine crepsculi.

"Oh no! I've got to help her!" Rune shouted. He immediately spread his wings and took off into the sky to save the young dragoness.

_What are you doing, young dragon?_

"I can't let those things kill her!"

_You would risk being seen to aid someone you do not know?_

"YES!" Rune exclaimed. The Chronicler was silent for a moment, but then said,

_Do as you will, Rune, but make haste._

Rune flew right into the flock of crepsculi right as two of them had grabbed the girl's wings, sinking their talons into the membranes. The Purple dragon used Lightning breath to stun the group. Most of them plummeted out of the sky, unable to save themselves. However, two of the beasts managed to evade the blasts, and were now flying towards him, shrieking with rage. To make matters worse, the girl had started to fall as well, unable to regain control.

"Somebody help meee!" She pleaded.

With little time to act, Rune took off with great speed, flying straight for the dragoness. The two airborne Crepsculi flew towards Rune at the same speed, their talons ready to tear through him. The Black dragon flew in a way so that he went right between the two crepsculi,driving the talons on his forepaws through each of the creature's nearest wing.

The Crepsculi immediately dropped out of the air, falling and spiraling out of control, plummeting all the way down to the beach far below. Rune then flew directly after the dragoness as fast as he could, grabbing hold of her sides before she could plummet too far. Luckilly, she was significantly lighter than he was, and was therefore not too much of a burden.

"What? Who're you?" She asked, frightened.

"That doesn't matter!" The Black dragon stated swiftly. "Hold on!"

Rune gently carried the injured girl down to the face of the cliffside. As this happened, the paralysis on the crepsculi wore off, and they chased the two dragons. When Rune and the girl landed, he pointed to the path that led back south.

"Go, run!" He exclaimed. "I'll hold them off!"

The girl didn't hesitate to follow his orders. Rune turned around to face the crepsculi, who were now enraged.

Once again, Rune used his Lightning breath to electrocute his enemies, and he tossed them overthe cliffside, one by one. Thinking the fight was over, he turned to check on the girl, who was waiting a short distance away in the pathway formed by two slabs of rock. He was finally able to get a good look at the girl.

"What's your name?" Rune asked her.

"My name? It's Emberella." The girl said shyly. "But everyone usually calls me Ember."

"It's nice to meet you, Ember. my name is-"

Before he could finish, the Black dragon was cut off by the earth beneath him suddenly shaking violently, which knocked him to his feet.

"What the?" He exclaimed.

"BEHIND YOU!" Ember shouted, pointing.

Rune turned around to see a giant-sized version of a crepsculi claw fly up into view and come crashing down onto the cliffside, knocking the two young dragons off their feet. A moment later, a second giant claw crashed down on the cliffside, shaking it more. And then, a giant monster rose up into view.

The beast resembled a massive version of a Crepsculi, only with far muscular limbs and wider wings. The Giant's limbs were also completely covered in the same black feathers as the ones covering its wings.

Frightened, Rune turned to run to Ember, but was shocked when a giant wall of Dark smoke rise up in front of the path, blocking his escape.

_Rune, someone has infused those crepsculi with powerful magic, combining them into one! Beware!_

The giant monster was using its hind legs to hold onto the cliff while it used its front legs to fight. It lifted a feathered arm into the air and swung it down, attempting to cruch Rune beneath its talons. He unleashed his Lightning breath yet again, only to find that it didn't even faze his opponent. The young dragon quickly dodged away from the beast's attack at the last possible moment before it crushed him.

"My Lightning! It's not working!"

_Whoever interfered must have watched you battle the others before, and equipped this beast with spells that make it immune to your Lightning._

"Then what do I do?"

_Use your other elements, you fool!_

And so, Rune engaged the giant beast in combat. At first he tried using his Fire breath on the creature's limbs. It was momentarily distracted, to be sure, but it didn't do any damage. When he used Earth breath to strike its limbs, the creature retaliated by pounding the ground, knocking him off balance. Lastly, he tried his Ice breath. He managed to freeze one of the creature's claws to the ground, but the monster responded to this by blasting him with a black energy Breath. While the young dragon was distracted by the attack, the ice melted away, and he was back to square one once again.

"What do I do? Nothing I throw at it works!"

_Perhaps you are striking the wrong area._

Suddenly, Rune got an idea.

"The head!"

He jumped into the air, taking flight. But right after he did that, the creature quickly swatted him out of the air.

"That didn't work either! Chronicler, help me!"

_Use your head to defeat this opponent, young dragon._

"Huh?"

_Think. Remember what each Elemental magic accomplished when you tried it._

Rune thought for a moment, dodging the Behemoth's attacks as he did. And then, he knew what to do.

First, the young dragon used Ice breath to freeze both of the creature's claws to the ground. As the monster was preparing its breath attack, Rune quickly switched to his Earth to shatter the ice. As the ice shrapnel scattered, the blasts from the Earth breath also broke through the beast's forelegs, breaking the claws away and Black blood on the grass nearby. The monster roared in pain and rage.

Once both of the beast's claws were rendered useless, Rune set the two stumps on fire, distracting the beast.

_Your Lightning breath will aid you now! Strike the eyes!_

The young dragon took to the air, flying up to the creature's head, and launched a jolt of Electricity into its soulless eyes. The eyes were fried instantly.

Rune landed back down as the beast did its best to keep from falling off the cliff. Suddenly, he realized that his hear was racing rapidly in his chest, and he could feel adrenaline flowing through his veins. He felt as though he could keep fighting for hours.

"What _is_ this sensation?" He asked the Chronicler.

_You have gained enough excess energy to unleash your Fury state._

"Fury State?"

_It is a rare trait inherited by only a modern dragons. When you feel as you do now, you are able to unleash your built up energy in one blast of Elemental Magic. Choose an element and unleash your Fury upon the beast to slay it._

Rune spent a few moments to decide on which element to use. However, he soon felt that he was running rapidly out of time before the power within him explode. So, with no option left, he jumped into the air and let the energy run wild.

He felt as though a raging inferno burst out of him. A massive burst of a strange, White energy burst forth out of the young dragon's body.

The Behemoth, as well as the entire cliffside, were completely engulfed in a massive White Light. The beast seemed to be assaulted with a million different attacks, as its entire being was torn asunder. It was sent flying off the cliffside, roaring in absolute agony. As it fell to the beach below, it exploded into a massive burst of Black energy, which slowly faded away into nothingness.

The excess energy that Rune created also faded away. The young dragon immediately fell to the gorund, realizing he was now a incredibly tired., and his vision was more than a little blurry.

He sat on the ground, breathing heavily as the black wall of smoke that blocked his path vanished as well, allowing Ember to run over to him.

"That was amazing!" She proclaimed loudly.

Rune struggled to get back up onto his feet.

"Are you okay? He asked wearily.

"Am I okay? Of course I'm okay!"

"Good." Rune smiled.

"How did you do all of that?" Ember asked.

Rune was hesitant to answer a bit.

"Because I'm special." Rune was Eager to change the subject. "Why were those crepsculi chasing you, Ember?"

"Is that what they were called? Well, a whole bunch of them attacked my village. I got separated form my Mom and Dad. And then those monsters chased me. I was so scared…" Ember started to cry a little, but she suddenly stopped.

"But, then you came out of nowhere and saved me! Thank you, um…"

"My name's Rune."

"Oh, okay!" Ember giggled. "Thank you for saving me, Rune."

"You're welcome."

Rune turned around to continue on his way, but then stopped and said. "You should be going back home now. Your parents must be worried sick about you."

Ember gasped, clasping a paw over her mouth.

"Oh, right!" The young dragoness turned around and took off into the air. But then she turned around again.

"Wait a minute! Where are _you_ going?"

"I'm going to find my brother. He's lost."

"Oh… good luck finding him!"

"Ember, be sure to keep what happened here a secret, okay? I'm being chased by some bad people who want to capture me."

Ember looked at the Purple dragon oddly a little.

"Bad people?"

"I can't explain it. Just keep this a secret, please."

"Okay!" Ember turned and flew away. The last thing she called out to him was "Goodbye, Rune! I hope we meet again someday! Then we can be friends!"

Rune waved to her as she left, not stopping until she had vanished over the hills and was gone. He then turned and glided down to the white beach below.

_You know, young dragon, you could have used your Darkness to wipe this event from the girl's memories._

"I don't like to use that magic." Rune said sternly. "It's too… well…"

_Powerful? Addictive?…. Fearsome?_

"… Yes."

_What are you afraid of, Rune? Do you fear you will become so addicted to the power of Darkness that you will let it control you?_

"I'm not strong enough to resist it. If I were to use it, I'd become a monster."

_Yesterday, you had no qualms about using part of your darkness to escape Albanion, Elza and Aegis._

"That was different. I was trying to escape from them."

_Even so, in your flight, you nearly killed Elza. If you had stabbed her but a few inches higher than where you had, your lightning would have stopped her heart._

Rune was gasped.

"But, I wasn't trying to kill her!" He protested.

_True. Your mind was clouded by fear at the time, impairing your judgement._

Rune hung his head in shame.

"I'm afraid of so much…." He shed a tear. "I'm nothing more than a coward!"

_That is not true. You're a stronger dragon than you realize. You risked your own life to rescue that girl, when you could have fled and let the Crepsculi enjoy their meal. Your grandfather Urobos would be proud of you._

That comment lightened Rune up a little.

_Furthermore, young dragon, your opinion of Darkness is misinformed. Light and Darkness are nothing more than power; Mere tools towards a goal. Whether they are evil or not depends on the wielder. There have been many dragons who used Light for good, and there have been many dragons who used Darkness for Good. The Great Shadow was a prime example, as you should know._

"What can I do, Chronicler?"

_You just because your darkness has the potential to do horrible things, doesn't mean you should avoid it completely. Rather, learn to use Darkness the proper way, to protect others. Letting that girl go with the memory of your incident has put her in danger and you at risk. Suppose the wrong people find her and force the information out of her._

Rune gasped.

"I hadn't thought of that."

_Of course you didn't._

Rune finally landed on the beach, the white sand feeling warm against his paws. He faced the ocean that stretched onwards before him.

"How am I going to get across?"

_This is a good time to learn to use Darkness the right way. Use your Ice Element to force a barrier of water around your snout, keeping breathable air trapped inside. Ordinarily, the barrier would wear off after a short time. But _

"But what about'?"

_If you use Darkness, you can reinforce the spell to hold for great periods of time, and have plenty of air. You will then be able to swim across the ocean. Now, do as I have said._

Rune closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt the Dark energy within him flow to the surface. The young dragon commanded the seawater to form a barrier around his snout. He could smell the seawater, but not a drop spilled onto his face.

_Good work. Now, I trust you know how to swim, am I correct?_

"Yeah, I can swim."

_Excellent. Now, you are going to swim across the Central Ocean to the Northern Continent._

"But what will I do if I get tired or hungry?"

_Let your darkness fill your body with energy. You will not tire, and you will not need to feed. I promise you that. There also happend to be a string of Islands between the two Continents, so you can stop to rest on them when your Dark energy begins to wear off. Do you trust me?_

"You're the only one helping me. Of course I trust you."

Rune stepped forward into the cold ocean water. Once he got deep enough, he lifted up his legs, folded his wings, and began to swim.

_I hope I don't spend too much time doing this, _he thought to himself._ Who knows how close Cyrus has gotten to the Pit of the Fallen?_

The afternoon seemed to continue on for eternity as Rune swam his way across the waters of the Central Ocean….


	7. Act 1, Chapter 7

Act 1, Chapter 7

Cyrus made his way through the thick jungle canopy.

The trail of Darkness that Wraith created was slowly fading away. However, the young dragon didn't get worried. There was no way Wraith would leave let him stay lost in there. And besides, now that he had an exit marked out for him, Cyrus started enjoying himself.

Every so often, he'd climb up into a tree, walk onto a branch, and glide his way through several more trees until he couldn't reach the next one, or he had to go in a different direction to stay on the path. On occastion, a small animal would wander across the canopy a short distance away from him, but they'd scamper away when the dragon got close.

Around noon, Cyrus finally made it to the campsite.

Two days before, he and the rest of his group found a huge clearing in the middle of the jungle. It was masive patch of grass, surrounded by trees of various ages and breeds. There were two narrow dirt trails leading out of the clearing; One heading East, and the other one heading west.

The West path continued onwards until it connected to sevearal other paths, which all continued onwards across the Jungle until it arrived at the Pyrus Volcanoes. The East Path led to a small village of Cheetahs, Leopards and other Cats. Travelers usually stopped their along their jouries to restock on supplies. Despite what the village had to provide, Wraith and Lilith decided it would be best to set up camp in the clearing; they didn't want to deal with people wandering all around them, potentially spying on them.

The young Purple dragon climbed onto another tree branch, glided forward, burst out of the Jungle and ran across the clearing. As he approached, Wraith and Lilith were arguing about something. And it sounded like Wraith was losing.

Lilith was several years older than Wraith. Her hide was Dark Yellow, and her underbelly was dark brown. She had four Brown horns that started behind her eyes and curved downwards. Her mane was long and dark blue, and her eyes were light Blue. She had a few silver piercing attached to the base of her right horns. She wore a Dark robe, the signature outfit of the Deep Shadows.

"…Honestly, Wraith, is it to much to ask that you treat prince Cyrus with more respect?" Lilith exclaimed.

"Respect? Are you _completely oblivious _to his foolhardy behavior?" Wraith snapped.

"No, but he's our prince. He needs to be treated as such."

"He's a prince who ran away from home! He's thrown away his title! He practically told us so himself."

"That doesn't mean he's been disowned. Do you think Our lord would want him to return if he no longer needed him as an heir?"

When Cyrus ran away from home, his father sent five members of the Deep Shadows to find him: Wraith, Lilith, Albanion, Elza, and a newer member, Lilith's husband Aegis.

While Albanion, Elza and Aegis searched the southern continent, Wraith and Lilith took to the North. After a few days of searching, they found him wandering around the Mountains of Inferdus. The young Prince pleaded with them, telling them why he ran away: He discovered a way to bring back the dead, and was planning on reviving his mother. Moved by Cyrus's plight, Lilith decided to help him. Wraith reluctantly agreed to help as well, if only to keep an eye on the prince.

"Hey, guys!" Cyrus called to them. They turned to face him, the Crimson adult smirking.

"Well well! You made it!" He said "And it's only a little after noon. I would've expected you to dawdle more…"

"Well you forgot that I'm a great black dragon!" Cyrus said, grinning. Wraith rolled his eyes, while Lilith chuckled.

"Yes, a mighty black dragon." She smiled.

Cyrus looked around the campsite. There wasn't much besides a campfire, several bundles of straw that Wraith purchased from the Cat village, and a few large wearable sacks containing various bits of brick-a-brack the group needed on their journey. He was looking for the fourth member of their party, but she didn't seem to be around.

"Where's Tina?" Cyrus asked, confused.

Suddenly, something leapt out of the jungle canopy and tackled the Prince, wrestling him to the ground. Cyrus tried to fight back, but whoever landed on him had managed to spin him around and plant him on his back, holding his forelegs down. Soon, Cyrus found himself looking into the face of a young dragoness, who was looking right back and smirking.

"Hi, Tina." Cyrus grimaced. Tina chuckled.

"Hi, Runt!"

Tina was Lilith's daughter, rouhly half a year older than Cyrus. Despite having a Dark Yellow hide, her element was Memory, like her father. She had a grey underbelly, and two bronze horns that curled downwards in the same fashion as her mother's. She had a Dark, almost Black mane, and a pair of Electric Blue eyes.

Tina was brought along by Lilith when she was sent to find Cyrus. The young dragoness was showing amazing prowess with magic, so Lilith decided to train her daughter while out in the world, incase she ever decided to take up a position as a Guardian or Deep Shadow someday. During the journey, the two adults decided to have Cyrus and Tina train together.

Lilith chuckled as her daughter held Cyrus down.

"Let me go, Tina!" The Price protested.

"Say Uncle first!" She commanded.

"What? No way!"

"Say it!"

"Tina, dear, let his highness back up." Lilith asked. The young dragoness sighed and did as her mother asked. Wraith rolled his eyes at the sight.

"Kids…" He groaned.

The Purple dragon got back onto his feet and grumbled.

"Alright, now that you're back from your little safari," The Dark Red Dragon comented, "we can get to work."

He pulled out a piece of paper from the sack at his waist.

"So far, between all of us, we have the following elements: Wind, Sound, Flora, Fauna, Time, Pain, Space, Memory, and Lightning. We still need Fire, Water, and Earth."

'It's a shame the Fire Dragons have left the Pyrus Volcanoes for the season." Lilith replied. "We could have used one of them."

"Well, in my opinion, it's better if we get seek help in a place that's a bit more… diverse."

"What do you mean?" The Mustard Adult dragoness asked.

"Instead of wasting our time wandering all around the world, we should go to Warfang."

"Warfang?"

"Why not? Warfang has dragons of practically every element. We can visit a few taverns, find some low-life drakes who'll work for a chunk of gold, and be on our way back to the Mountains of Inferdus." Wraith glanced over at Cyrus. "What do you say, your highness?"

Cyrus got quiet, which wasn't normal for him. Despite the way he behaved, he was very serious about collecting dragons.

"We need to gather the dragons we need as soon as possible..." Cyrus stated solemnly. "We need to bring Mother back before the Night of Eternal Darkness comes. She's the only one who can…"

Cyrus started to cry. Lilith walked over and draped a wing over him.

"Calm down, Cyrus." She said soothingly. "We'll revive her before time runs out."

"Thank you, Lilith." The Prince replied, calming down.

"So it's decided then." Wraith exclaimed. He put the paper away. "I'll gather everything together. Once I'm done, we head East, out of the Raunn Jungle. From there, we venture across the valley of Avalar. Warfang awaits on the other side of the valley, in the middle of the Veros Outskirts."

"Sounds like an awefully long journey." Tina responded.

"Only about as long as our journey to the Pyrus and Volcanoes and back." Wraith replied. "Give or take a few miles."

"If you say so..."

The Crimson Deep Shadow proceeded to gather all of the party's supplies together, as well as dousing the flame on the campfire. Lilith got busy aided him. That left Cyrus and Tina with nothing to do.

"Hey Runt, wanna practice for a bit?" Tina asked mischievously, nudging Cyrus.

"Er, later. First, I, uh, have something for you." He said nervously.

The dragoness eyed the Prince oddly.

"Oh?"

Cyrus turned around and reached into his sack. He carefully pulled out the Serenity Rose, making sure it wasn't damaged. When he saw that the flower was fine, the Purple dragon turned back around and handed the rose to the young dragoness.

"Here." He said, smiling. "I hope you like it."

Tina's eyes lit up upon seeing the rose. Cyrus knew that she had a passion for plants. And Serenity Roses were her favorite flowers.

"Oh, I LOVE IT!" Tina eagerly took the rose and held it up in the sunlight.

"Look at the way it shines! Thanks, Cyrus!"

Tina kissed Cyrus on the cheek, making him blush.

"Well, your welcome."

The Dark Yellow dragoness continued admiring her flower for a while. Cyrus watched her for a minute, when a thought came into his head. He walked over to talk to Wraith, who was busy tying together the bundles of straw together, grumbling when the bands came undone.

"Uh, Wraith?" Cyrus asked.

"What?" He replied in an iritated tone. "I'm in the middle of something here."

"Will we be in Warfang long?"

"Only long enough to find some nitwit Light dragons to aid us. Why?"

"Well, once we're there, I want to take Tina with me to visit a place there."

Wraith stopped tying bands and stared at the Prince like he had just grown a second head.

"Sightseeing? You can't be serious."

"Well, I'd like Tina to see it."

"What place in particular?"

Cyrus motioned for Wraith to bend his head down, and he whispered into Wraith's ear hole. Wraith jumped back, shocked and alarmed.

"You're kidding!" He protested. "You want to take her _there_, of all places?"

"Not so loud!" Cyrus snapped.

"What is it?" Lilith asked, confused by the commotion. Wraith turned to face her.

"Our young highness wants to take your daughter to…" He whispered the name to the other Deep Shadow. When he finished, she was apalled.

"Why would you want to go anywhere _near_ that building, your highness?" She demanded

"I, uh, well…." Cyrus didn't know how to answer. "… It's the last place I went to with Dad and Rune, when he was still alive. It's the last place in Warfang that I have fond memories of with my brother."

Lilith and Wraith exchanged glances.

"If it means so much to you," The Dark Yellow dragoness stated, "then alright. But I'm coming along to keep an eye on you and my daughter."

Cyrus smiled.

"Thank you."

"Hey Runt!" Tina called out. Cyrus turned to face her. The young dragoness was ready to pounce on him.

"It's later." She said, smirking. The Prince smirked back. He got into a battle stance, and charged forwards.

The two young dragons played in the sun as the two adults prepared for their trip to Warfang.

...

Blank was getting tired.

He, Nellie and Emerald had been flying for hours. They had crossed the Acrus desert, and were almost through the Fractured hills. He hadn't eaten in a long while. He glanced at his friend and sister. He could tell they were getting tired as well.

"Hey, let's rest for a bit!" He shouted.

"Sounds like a go idea to me." Emerald replied, shaking wearieness from her eyes.

The three young dragons came to a land on the highest hills they could find. Off to the north, Blank could see the various settlements atop giant stone and metal bridges dotting the Hillside. Some of them were below his level, while some of the larger-sized ones towerd high in the sky, hiding the Central Ocean from view.

"Man, it's a shame we have to keep going. I'd love to fly around here."

"Blank!" Nellie yelled.

"What?" The Orange dragon asked, confused.

"We're not on vacation! We have to find Rune."

"I know that!" He snapped "I was just saying…"

"Guys, don't argue", Emerald scolded. "We're all too tired for this."

The three dragons lay on the top of the hill, catching their breath.

As they stayed there for a while, the they all started looking up at the clouds in the sky. After flying for all of the night, this was a welcome reprieve. However, they couldn't let themselves fall asleep.

So, Emerald started up a conversation.

"Do you think Rune is alright?" She asked.

At first, the other two didn't answer.

"Well..." Blank began nervously. "He's got a whole roster of Elements at his talons, right? I'll be he can take care of himself."

"I.. I'm not too sure, Blank.." Nellie responded quietly. The Earth dragoness frowned.

"Why not, Nellie?" She asked, concerned.

"He was abducted by... by..."The Blue dragoness murmured anxiously. "...by Those Monsters. Three of them..."

"We know that Nellie" Blank replied.

"Plus, Rune's only a kid." Nellie continued on, her demeanour growing more nervous as she spoke. "Those three could overpower him easilly. There's no way he could-"

"Don't talk like that, Nellie!" Her brother snapped. "I didn't embark on this journey thinking that ol' Runey's a goner!"

The Blue dragoness glared angrilly at her brother.

"I'm just trying to be realistic!" He shouted.

"No, what you're being is ridiculous."

"Calm down, yout two." Emerald scolded, getting between them. "Yelling at each other won't solve anything."

Blank Sighed.

"I don't mean to yell." He said calmly. "I just don't want to see Sis losing confidence in Rune. He's our brother, and he'll turn out fine."

"Thank you, Blank." The Blue dragoness replied, sitting up.'

It was then that the Orange dragon heard his stomach growl.

"I'm going to go find a sheep or something." hedeclared. "I'm starving!"

"Why don't we all go?" Nellie asked. "We'll need all the energy we can get."

"Or we could just find some Green Gems." Emerald stated. "They'll give the same results."

"But Gems don't fill your stomach, Emmy!" Blank protested. The Earth dragoness just rolled her eyes.

"Fine."

So, the trio took to the air once again.

They glided around, as they were still too tired for true flight. After a few moments, they spotted a flock of sheep grazing in a valley. They looked around to make sure they didn't belong to any other dragons. When it was confirmed they were wild sheep, the three dragons flew down to hunt.

The hunt wasn't as easy as it was in Glenhaven. The flock of sheep saw the dragons approaching, and started fleeing before they even got close. Plus, they were tired from flying all night and morning.

When Blank tried to chase a sheep, he tripped and fell on his side, making Nellie and Emerald laugh. The Green dragoness, on the other hand, had better luck. She used her Earth breath to shake the ground beneath several of the sheep, causing them to lose their balance and fall. Emerald then pounced on one and broke its neck. Nellie grabbed another one. Blank jumped at a third, but he crashed a few inches away from it. Enraged, Blank used his Fire breath to burn the sheep alive.

Once they each had their kill, the three young dragons set to work consuming it. The Fire dragon attacked his charred meal wildly, disgusting Emerald.

"You need to learn some manners, Blank." She stated with distaste.

"Mow Mi mee mish mum muv mur mishnish!" He replied. His mouth was full of meat.

"What?" Emerald snapped.

Blank swallowed an tried again.

"I said, 'How I eat is none of your business!'" Emerald rolled her eyes. She almost started to wonder why they were friends.

"Come on, you two", Nellie pleaded.

Once they were all finished eating, the young dragons disposed of the carcasses and took to flight, now able to truly fly again. They flew back to the hill they landed on earlier.

"Do we have time to rest for a bit?" Nellie asked, yawning.

"We've been flying for hours. I think we can sleep her for a while." Blank answered.

"We should take turns standing guard." Emerald decided.

"What do you mean?"

"One of us will stay awake while the other two sleep. We don't want to all be sleeping and get caught defenseless. When trouble starts, the guard will wake the others up so we can all get away."

"I'll go first." Blank said. "You girls get some rest."

...

For a good while, Nellie and Emerald were curled up on the ground, fast asleep. Blank walked in a circle around the girls, doing his best to stay awake. He watched as the others snored peacefully.

"They deserve to sleep. They didn't have to come with me."

The Orange dragon shook his head, shaking away the desire to shut his eyes. He started breathing heavily.

Despite his best efforts, he felt the desire to rest growing stronger. He slowly shut his eyes. But right as he did, he started hearing strange, hissing noises coming from all around himself. When he glanced around, his heart stopped, and his eyes lit up in alarm.

A group of twelve hideous, Black monsters surrounded the three young dragons, crawling out of pools of Darkness on the ground. Some the monsters were small and shrieking, while a few of them had six limbs, and apeared to be covered in armor.

The Orange dragon wasted no time shaking his friends to awaken them. The two girls woke with a start, and were displeased.

"Hey!" Nellie protested. "Blank! What do you think you're-!"

The Blue dragoness was interrupted when one of the smaller monsters lunged at her, teeth barred.

Nellie instinctively attacked with her Ice breath, but the beast managed to grab ahold of her before her attack connected. Thus, the beast was frozen onto her.

Blank and Emerald, who had witnessed the spectacle, quickly ran over to Nellie to help her pry the creature off. However, several more of the monsters jumped in their way, hissing and advancing on them.

"What ARE these things?" Emerald shouted.

"How should I know?" Blank snapped.

Nellie managed to rip the frozen monster off of her, but it started breaking free of the Icy prison shortly afterwards.

"Whatever they are," She stated, "They mean trouble!"

"Right." Blank agreed. "We better deal with them, then."

Emerald dodged out of the way as two of the monsters tried to charge her.

"Less talking and more action!" She shouted.

Immediately, the three young dragons charged into battle. It would not be easy: They were still tired from their long flight.

Blank started out by using his Fire to burn four of the monsters alive. The smaller ones ran about and shrieked in pain, but the larger beast that was among them walked through the flames, protected by its armor. The Orange dragon tried to break the armor by clawing at it, but this did nothing.

"Crap." Blank grimaced. With no clear option available, the young dragon fled from the beast, which chased after him.

A short distance away, Emerald was using Earth blasts to knock the smaller monsters backwards with ease. When a larger creature Charged at her, she tried to strike it with an Earth Bomb. However, the Green dragoness found that she was too low on energy to create one. So, she used what was left for another Earth blast, but the monster merely shrugged the attack off.

"Nothing's working!" She shouted, dodging one of the creature's attacks. "What do we do?"

As this was happening, Nellie was facing off against several creatures on her own. When several of the smaller monsters charged at her, she used her Ice breath to freeze them. As they were trapped, she slashed at them with her claws and teeth, breaking them to pieces. When she wasn't looking, one of the larger monsters charged her from the side and stuck her hard in the back, knocking her off her feet.

"NELLIE!" Blank and Emerald screamed in unison.

As the beast was about to attack the injured dragoness, the Orange dragon leapt at the creature's back, grappling with it and snarling in anger. In the meantime, Emerald ran to Nellie's aid, striking any of the other monsters that tried to take advantage of the Blue draogness's time of weakness.

"You okay?" the Green dragoness asked, helpin Nellie to her feet.

"Yeah..." She replied. "Thanks, Emmy."

Suddenly, Blank came flying past them, crashing on the grass a short distance away. The monster he was grappling had managed to shake the Orange dragon off and toss him several yards forwards.

As the girls gasped in surprise, the three large monsters approached them, all snarling.

"This isn't good." Emerald said worriedly. "Those things are invincible. Nothing we throw at them works."

"_Everything_?" Nellie replied. "I'm not so sure..."

The Blue dragoness charged up the last of her magic and stepped forwards, approaching the nearest beast. In the meantime, Blank had climbed back onto his feet.

"What're you doing, Sis?" He exlaimed.

As the monster attempted to strike Nellie with its fangs, the Blue dragoness attacked with a burst of Ice breath. The beast was frozen completely in place in seconds, unable to move. Nellie then followed up her attack with a series of strikes with her talons.

The Ice exploded upon the talons' impact, sending the monster flying backwards, its armor-like scales being stripped from its body and scattered all around on the grass. The screaming beast and its scales all faded into Black mist, and then into think air, much to the young dragons' amazement.

"So _that's_ what we do to kill 'em." Emerald declared.

"I could use some help, guys!" Nellie shouted, dodging away from the remaining monsters' attacks.

Emerald and Blank ran forwards to aid the Blue dragoness.

Nellie used the last of her magic to freeze the beasts in place, and the Orange and Green dragons each attacked one of them with physical strikes. Soon, the last of the monsters was sceaming wildly as it faded into nothingness, and the three dragons sat on the ground, panting heavilly.

They had finally one.

"What.." Nellie stuggled to ask. "What **were** those things?"

"I'll tell you what they were." Blank replied, grinning. "They were a pain in the ass."

"That's not funny, Blank." The Blue dragoness sneered. "Those thing could've killed us! How could you let them get the drop on us? You were supposed to be standing guard!"

"Hey, they literally crawled out of nowhere!" The Orange dragon snapped. "What was I supposed to do: Magically predict that monsters would suddenly appear at random? Do I look like a Time dragon to you?"

"Guys, stop it." Emerald demanded. "We've already gotten rid of those things. Let's just be thankful that we didn't get too badly injured."

The Blue and Orange dragons sighed.

"Well, I guess that's a good point." Nellie began. "But..."

Suddenly, the Blue dragoness was cut off by the startling echo of a massive explosion, which filled the air throughout the Fractured Hills. The three dragons jumped in shock and gasped in alarm. The very ground shook beneath them, though not enough to disorient them.

'What was THAT?" Emerald screamed.

"I don't know!" Blank exclaimed.

The three dragons took to the skies, looking around to spot the source of the noise. After a moment, Nellie spotted something far to the West in another part of the Hills. Trace amounts of a great White energy were floating into the air before vanishing into nothingness.

"Over there!" she shouted, pointing.

"Do you want to check it out?" Emerald asked.

"Well, it's not like we have much else to do!" Blank yelled, taking off. "LET'S GO!"

The three dragons set off immediately for the source of the explosion.

It was much farther than Blank first thought. Maybe his perception was distorted from the grogginess that hung about him after the battle. In any case, the trio had already set off. There was no point in turning back.

When the three dragons got close enough to the northern edge of the Fractured Hills, their mouths hung open in horror.

All across the hills and valleys, fires had started up in almost all of the settlements. Most of the sky was filled with Black sounds of a great battle could be heard, and grew louder and louder as the three dragons neared. They could all make out tiny images of dragons and Nondragons fighting against a great Black swarm of monster.

"By the Ancestors..." Emerald stated, horrified.

"It's horrible!" Nellie added. "All of those poor people..."

"Should we try to help them?" Blank asked.

"I hate to say this, but we mustn't get sidetracked." The Green dragoness answered. "Let's just focus on the explosion, and then return to finding Rune."

"But what about all of those people?" The Blue dragoness demanded. "We can't just leave them!"

"Calm down, Nellie." Blank said.

The three dragons resumed chasing after the explosion, though Nellie did so reluctantly. As they passed over the settlements, the Blue dragoness had to fight to keep herself from flying downwards to help the poor civilians being attacked by the monsters.

...

As the trio got closer and closer to the source of the explosion, the echos faded into nothingness, and the flames Blank saw were gone.

"Do you think we'll be too late to find out what it was?" Emerald asked.

"We're almost there! Don't get your hopes down so soon!" Blank exclaimed.

When they got close to where the explosion seemed to originate from, The Orange dragon became confused. He didn't see anything that resembled an explosion: He nly saw a cliffside, with a beach and an ocean far below it. Nothing looked horribly burned by fire. The only sounds that suggested danger were coming from the settlements.

"Well, that's weird." Blank stated.

"Yeah. I don't see any damage anywhere." Emerald. "What happened to the fire?"

"Hey, look!" Nellie shouted, pointing below them. The trio saw a young pink dragoness flying far below them. Blank got an idea.

"Maybe that girl saw what happened." he said.

"How are you so sure?" Emerald asked.

"I'm not, but there's always the possibility that she might have. She seems to be the only other dragon outside the settlements besides us at the moment."

"Well, let's ask her and find out." Emerald decided.

The trio flew down lower to speak to the girl.

"Um, excuse me.." Nellie called out to her. The girl seemed surprised to see three other young dragons flying around outside the settlements.

"Uh, hi.." she replied shyly.

"Yes, um…. Did you happen to see or hear a large explosion a while ago?" Emerald asked. "I mean, other than ones that might've come from the settlements, at least."

The girl seemed to hesitate, as if she had to think about answering.

"No.. I didn't." She finally answered. "Sorry."

"You didn't?" Blank frowned. "Aw, man. Well, thanks anyway."

The three were about to turn and fly away, when the Orange dragon realized something.

"Wait a minute!" He turned back and glared at the Pink dragoness. "Why are you flying around out here all alone? Especially considering the attacks on the settlements that're happening right now!"

"Er… why are _you_ three out here?" the girl asked back. The boy's eyes lit up.

"Uh, we, um, well…." Blank stammered.

'We're looking for a friend of ours." Emerald answered the girl.

"Emmy, what are you…" Nellie started to say, but the Green dragoness held a paw up to stop her.

"Have you recently seen a Purple dragon being carried off by three Dark dragons?"

The girl seemed shocked at the mention of the dark dragons.

"Dark dragons?"

"Yes." Emerald replied. "So, have you seen them, possibly with a Purple dragon?"

The girl seemed hesitant again.

"..Sorry. I haven't seen any."

The trio sighed in unison.

"Well, we better start heading north." Blank said. "They must've crossed the sea by now, or are in the middle of it."

"Yeah..." Emerald added. "Thank for your time, uh…."

"I'm Ember." the girl said.

"Okay. Thank you, Ember".

"You shouldn't stay out here on your own, Ember." Nellie cautioned. "You should try to find your family."

"Okay..." The pink dragoness stuttered.

The trio waved goodbye and took off, heading north. They flew high over the Central Ocean, completely unaware that their friend was far below and behind them….


	8. Act 1, Chapter 8

Act 1, Chapter 8

Late in the Afternoon, on the eastern edge of the Fractured Hills.

It was a typical day for the citizens of the settlement known as Corona. Since it was one of the few Farming-based settlements of the Hills, there was more cropland and vegetation atop the artificial bridge than actual housing

Despite being landlocked, a series of roads and tunnels in the hills provided access to several nearby settlements, one of which was a port town built near the massive beach that stretched across the Northern section of the Hills.

Thanks to thsese entryways, a set of merchant Carriages was able to visit Corona, stopping to set up shop near the center of the town. The Merchants, among whom were Cats, Moles, Llamas, dragons and dragonflies, were going about their business, doing their best to impress the locals with there wares.

Although most of the carriages were shared among several merchants, a single carriage, the largest of them all, was owned by just one man: a Magician.

This magician, a Purple dragon in his early forties, was currently showing a Cheetah couple his magical aritifacts.

The dragon was dressed in a long Blue cloak that fell over his back and wings, and a pair of Blue stockings over his forelegs, which stopped at his legjoints and had holes for his talons to fit through. He had a vibrant red mane that was cut short, and a short beard grew from his chin. He had three golden horns: The left and right horns like those of a ram, and a middle horn that pointed directly downwards. His eyes were a vibrant Blue, and a confident smirk was worn upon his face as he spoke.

The dragon's carriage had a series of shelves along the interior walls, and a metal table was permanently attached to the center of the floor. Both the shelves and the table were covered in a veritable assortment of trinkets, doodads, and other items, most of which had some magical purpose. A locked chest sat off in the back of the carriage, which contained the Magician's most valuable devices.

"..Is there anything in particular that a happy couple such as yourselves would be interested in? " The Magician asked.

"We're not shopping for ourselves, sir." The female replied.

"We're looking for a gift for my brother's wedding, but we don't have a lot of money." The male added.

"I see..." The Magician ran a forepaw through his beard. "What are your brother's interests?"

"Well, he likes to travel a lot, so maybe a compass or special kind of map will do..."

"A traveler, eh?" The Purple dragon chuckled. "I know just the item."

The Magician turned around and looked towards the far left corner of the Carriage.

"Excuse me, dear..."

Off to one side of the far end of the carriage, next to a windowsill, sat a young, though most peculiar dragoness.

The dragoness was short in stature, small enough that she could easilly be hidden away by the Magician's cloak, and roughly thirteen years of age. She was dressed in bizarre Black stockings, and a thick, Black hooded cloak. The only thing visible of her was her Purple face, a few strands of Dark Grey hair, two small, Blood red eyes, and two small, tusklike horns, although the shape of a pair of larger horns could be seen in two pockets on her hood.

The dragoness had been quietly looking out the window the whole time, with a solemn expression on her face, but she turned around when the Magician spoke to her.

"What is it, father?" She asked.

"Would you please retrieve the watch from the chest for me?"

"Alright, father..."

The dragoness produced a key from the satchel that was hung around her neck and under her cloak, and proceeded to unlock the chest. and look through its contents.

"That's your daughter?" The male cheetah asked.

"Why yes, she is." The Magician answered.

"How come she chooses to wear that outfit?"

"It's a long story. Too long to detail now, you see..."

The young dragoness finally retrieved what she was searching for, a small, Silver pocketwatch, locked the chest again, and presented the watch to the Magician.

"Here you go, father."

"Why thank you, dear."

The Magician accepted the pocketwatch and then showed it to the Cheetahs.

"Here's the item I was speaking of." He said, smiling.

"Uh..." The male cheetah said awkwardly. "That's a very lovely pocketwatch, sir, but I don't think it's something my brother would want."

"Oh, but this is more than just a Pocketwatch." The Magician replied. "Watch what happens when you turn the extra third hand in the opposite direction..."

The female Cheetah, shrugging, did as the dragon said. Once the third hand was turned a good ninety degrees, the pocketwatch started glowing a vibrant White. After this, a large image was projected out of the watch's face. The image was a large, holographic map of the Dragon Realms in its entirety, from the Pyrus Volcanoes to the West, all the way to the remains of the Floating Plains to the East, as well as from the Mountains of Inferdus to the North to the Arcus Desert to the south.

"Amazing!" The male cheetah exclaimed.

"It's a watch of my own invention. Not only will your brother always know what time it is, he'll know WHERE he is."

"How much will it cost, sir?" The female asked.

"I'll sell it for a mere ten pieces of silver."

"It's a done deal!"

The Cheetahs handed over the money, and then turned to leave.

"Thank you for the watch, sir!" The male cheetah said back to the Magician. "My brother's going to love it."

"Have a nice day." The Purple dragon said back. "And tell your brother that I wish him the best in his marriage!"

Once the Cheetahs were gone, the Magician turned around to look at his daughter, who had returned to her spot before the window.

"Thank you for helping me today with the customers, dear." He said happily.

"Your welcome, father..."

At first, the dragoness said nothing else after this. But a few moments later, the girl turned to look up at the adult Purple dragon.

"Um, father?" She asked nervously.

"Yes, dear?"

"May I please go for a walk around the town now? I've been locked up in this carriage all day."

The Magician chuckled.

"Sure, dear; you may go. just be sure to leave the key to the chest here first: We don't want it getting lost."

The dragoness smiled and hugged the Magician's leg.

"Thank you, father."

The girl handed the Adult Purple dragon her key, and then turned to walk out of the Carriage door.

"I'll be back in a while, father!"

"Alright, dear. Be sure to be careful out there." The Magician replied.

And with that, the dragoness was gone.

For a moment, the Magician held his calm smile upon his face. But after that, his eyes narrowed, and his smile became a grin. He chuckled to himself.

"I truly wonder how long it's going to take..."

...

Hontus, Seraph, Voden and Jules had spent the better part of the day traveling North across the Arcus desert.

Due to the ever-changing wind currents, the four Guardians found themselves tilting Northeast and Northwest from time to time, in order to keep up their haste.

Jules stayed at the lead, guiding the others across the sky. Down below, the Arcus Desert was beginning to give way to the Fractured Hills to the north.

"How long will it take us to reach the edge of the Continent?" Voded asked.

"If we factor in time to stop and rest," The Lightning dragon ansered, "We should arrive by tomorrow afternoon."

"Will it really take that long?" Seraph questioned worriedly. "Those Dark Dragons could be miles ahead of us already. If we stop, they'll only get farther."

"We can't keep flying indefinitely." Jules stated. "We're only mortal dragons."

"But our children are in danger, too! Sure we musn't dawdle in our quest to..."

"It can't be helped, Seraph." Hontus said solemnly. "We'll have to stop here and there to keep our strength up."

The Blue dragoness sighed.

"Fine..."

The Red dragon flew up close to his mate, a reasurring look in his eyes.

"We'll find them, love. We just need to be strong in order to avail them."

"No offense, Hontus, but that's **really** corny." Voden commented. The Red dragon glared.

"I don't need any remarks, Smartass." Hontus snapped.

"I'm just saying that you could've said something original."

"Just how is what I said unoriginal? I was just trying to warm my wife's spirits."

"Well you'd do a much better job with your Fire breath than your words."

"Excuse me?"

Seraph chuckled at the two dragons' banter. Jules, however, was not amused. The Lightning dragon came to a stop and turned to glare at his companions.

"Alright, that's enough!" He shouted. "The both of you are acting like children, when _our_ children are in need of rescuing!"

The other dragons were taken aback by the Lightning dragon's anger.

"We know that fully well, Jules." Voden stated.

"If that's so, then quit behaving so foolishly and focus on the task at hand!" Jules turned back around and continued flying.

Hontus and Voden looked between each other, letting Seraph fly ahead of them.

"Well, I can certainly see where young Emerald gets her authoritativeness." The Orange dragon whispered.

"Aye." Hontus agreed. "Jules hasn't changed much at all over the years."

"Hey!" Seraph called behind herself. "Don't fall behind!"

The two Fire dragons gasped, and immediately flew forwards, catching up with the Ligtning and Water dragons.

...

Albanion, Elza and Aegis woke up early in the morning. They gathered their supplies and left the outskirts of the city of Glenhaven without a hitch. The decided on flying Northeast, to get away from the eyes of Glenhaven as soon as possible.

The three Deep Shadows flew with great speed, their Dark energy propelling them forwards.

"Where shall we continue our search for Prince Cyrus?" Aegis queried.

"Our search for him in the Aechos valley was completely fruitless." Albanrion replied. "Considering how Wraith and Lilith are continuing their search across the Northern Continent, we shall continue ours here."

"The two closest places for us to look would be the Fractured Hills, and the city of Aeroshard." Aegis stated.

"Our choice is obvious, then." The Dark Grey dragon declared. "We shall head for Aeroshard."

"What makes you believe that, Albanion?"

"Well, for the time being, we will need to lay low, in order to evade any Light dragons that may be chasing after us."

"I suppose that's true." The Dark Brown dragon agreed.

"The settlements of the Fractured hills each have close to only a couple hundred beings living in them, which includes Dragons and Nondragons alike. Aeroshard, on the other paw, is a grand city, having close to two thousand civilians. It will be much easier to hide among their number via our Shrouds."

"Yes, but it'll also be much harder to investigate for the Prince." Aegis stated. "Let us assume for a moment that Cyrus is hiding as a student among the Light dragons in Aeroshard's Temple, just as we theorized in Glenhaven."

"Very well." Albanion stated.

"Now, unlike the other cities, Aeroshard's school runs as a Military Academy: They are far more strict on the confidentiality of its students' information. We will be facing great problems in finding the Prince."

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we encounter it."

"As you wish."

From then on, Albanion and Aegis continued concentrating on flying.

It was around this time that Albanion realized that Elza had been silent during the whole morning. The Dark Grey dragon slowed his speed slightly, so that he may back up and fly alongside the dragoness.

"Is everything alright, Elza?" He asked.

"Forgive me, Albanion," The replied, "But I can't help but keep thinking about Prince Rune."

"I see..."

"When I saw Rune standing before me in that alleyway, my heart leapt from my chest. It was as if I had seen a ghost, only one of flesh and blood."

"I had almost the same feeling, Elza. Don't you worry."

"That's not all I'm thinking of, Albanion. When he turned to flee, he was going out of his way to stop us from catching him. And when I looked into the boy's eyes, I saw absolute terror. He was hyperventilating, as well, and attacked me like a wild animal."

Elza looked at the Dark Grey dragon, sorrow in her eyes.

"I... I think he **feared** us, Albanion."

"Feared us?"

"Yes. As if he had reason to believe that the two of us, dragons who had a hand in looking after him as a cub, would wish to do him harm."

Albanion frowned.

"Surely that couldn't be the case." He said reassuringly.

"Then what _is_ the case, Albanion? Why would he behave like a mouse fleeing from a predator?"

The Dark Grey dragon was at a loss for words.

Elza was correct: Why would Prince Rune flee in such a way? No dragon would attempt to harm another as an act of jest, nor would a dragon wish to evade from companions without just cause.

"..Elza," He began, "once we've found Cyrus, we shall search for Rune and get to the bottom of this, regardless of what Bane's next orders might be."

The Dark Green dagoness's eyes lit up, and she smiled.

"Oh, bless you, Albanion." She replied.

Elza used her magic to hasten her speed, flying ahead of Albanion and alongside Aegis. The Dark Grey dragon smiled slightly.

_At least I've managed to lighten her mood, for now,_ He thought. _Bless the Great Shadow._

Albanion hastened his speed, catching up with his two companions.

...,...

The young dragoness walked through the blocks of the settlement, taking slow, casual steps. As she walked, she observed world around her.

The air was moderatly fair, though was slowly becoming chilled as Clouds passed by overhead. the bleating of goats and sheep could be heard in the distance, and the wind blowed over the Hills, causing the grass to dance madly. Several Moles, Cats and Llamas were hard at work off in the fields, tending to various crops and livestock. Several citizens had flocked to the caravan of carriages, looking over the many goods and services.

A few young children, some dragons and some cheetahs between the ages of eight and ten, were playing a game of catch with a large toy ball in a nearby field. The dragoness harrumphed at the sight of them.

"Of course..." She sneered. " I'm always surrounded by _normal_ children..."

The dragoness turned to keep walkind down the road.

"Look out!" Somebody shouted from behind.

One of the children must have thrown it too far and too hard, because it went flying out of the field and collided with the dragoness's back, knocking her over and onto her stomach.

As the children came running up to the dragoness, she got up onto her feet, snarling.

"Sowwy about that..." One of the Cheetah cubs said solemnly. "I thwough the ball too hawd..."

"Can we have ouw ball back, pwease?" A dragon cub asked.

After making sure that her cloak wasn't knocked too far out of place, the Dragoness picked the ball up off the ground and glared at the young children.

"Take your stupid ball and get out of my sight!" She shouted, shoving the ball hard into the cub who through it.

The cub was shoved backwards onto his rear, causing him to cry.

"Hey!" one of the other cubs protested. "What did you do that fow?"

The dragoness flared with rage.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She roared.

The group of cubs yelped in surprise, and then turned to run away, some of them crying. The dragoness then turned and continued walking down the road.

The dragoness eventually turned and approached the southern edge of the settlement's bridge. She reached up and placed her forepaws on the edge of the safety wall, and looked down at the Fractured Hills before her.

For a while, she only looked on at the many hills and valleys in the distance, taking in the serene calmness of the world. She sighed.

"At least the scenery is pleasant..." She said solemnly.

The dragoness closed her eyes, letting herself fall into an almost trancelike state as she listened to the sounds of nature...

And then, something caught her attention that wasn't right.

The air was becoming filled with screams of horror, and the buildup of energy.

"What in the world...?"

Suddenly, the nearby sounds of hissing and shrieking filled the air. The dragoness turned around, and gasped in fright.

A large number of hideous Black monsters started crawling out of pools of Dark energy around her. Some were small, smaller than her, while others were gigantic.

"What the fuck?" She shouted.

The dragoness had no time to assess the situation, as the beasts immediately moved to attack her. After dodging a few of the attacking monsters, the girld did the only thing she _could_ do...

She ran for her life.

...

The journey had lasted for a better half of the day.

The four Guardians of Glenhaven found themselves heading Northwest. Once it was late in the afternoon, they had traveled deep into the expanse of the Fractured Hills. However, despite their progress, the edge of the Southern Continent was still a day's travel away.

As the sun approached the western horizon, the sky had become painted a deep Orange-Red color. Various clouds were crawling across the sky, blanketing small pockets of the land with slowly-growing shade.

Hontus had found that it was becoming harder and harder for him to stay in the air. The constant flight had rendered the Red dragon Exshausted.

"It's getting late." He stated, panting. "And I'm getting kind of tired. Maybe we should come to a landing and get some rest."

"That may be a good idea." Voden agreed. "I'm having trouble staying aloft."

"Are you sure we can't keep flying for just a bit longer?" Seraph asked.

"I'm deadly sure, love." Hontus replied, still struggling.

"Oh, if you say so..."

"Where shall we land, then?" Jules asked.

"Anywhere's good," Voden answered, "Though I'd prefer it if we landed somewhere with an Inn."

"I believe we're approaching one of the settlements in the Hills." Jules declared. "Follow me."

Sure enough, after passing over one of the Fractured Hills' many great Valleys, the four Guardians came across a set of hills that were connected by a great metal bridge. When they saw the settlement atop that bridge, however, they gasped in alarm.

All throughout the town blocks, a great swarm of hideous, Black-hided beasts were invading. The air was filled with hissing, roaring, swords and arrows slicing through flesh, and the explosions of magic as the settlements' citizens fought back against the beasts.

"By the Ancestors!" Jules exclaimed.

"What in the world ARE those things?" Seraph asked, astounded.

"No time for Questions!" Voden stated, his being now fueled by resolve. "We must join the battle!"

The Orange Guardian flew forwards towards the settlements, not wasting time to wait for a response. Jules sighed.

"That man is far to gung ho for his own good." The Lightning dragon remarked.

"He's right, though." Hontus stated. "We've got to help them."

The Red Fire dragon immediately took off to follow Voden. Jules flew in front of Hontus to block his path.

"Hey!" The Red dragon protested. "What're you doing?"

"Are you mad?" Jules exclaimed. "We're all much too tired from our day's travel! We couldn't possibly provide much aid to those people!"

"That isn't stopping Voden or Seraph." Hontus replied.

"What?" The Yellow dragon turned around to find that Seraph had flown around him to aid Voden in his endeavors. Jules sighed with contempt.

"You can sit this battle out if you wish, Jules," the Red dragon stated, "but the rest of us are going to do what's right."

As Hontus flew towards the settlement, the Lightning dragon rolled his eyes.

"Children. You're all as irrational as children..."

Jules followed after the Fire dragon, charging up the last reserves of his magic for the coming battle...

...

The day had passed into the late afternoon.

Albanion, Elza and Aegis had spent much of their day traveling across the desert to their next destination: The city of Aeroshard.

Aeroshard was the ancient dragon city of Power. It sat on the Eastern edge of the Arcus Desert, a short distance away from the Mountains of Kilon that dominated the far edge of the Southern Continent.

During the first few Decades of the New Age, Aeroshard was the first of the three New Dragon Cities to be finished, the other two being Glenhaven and Faeshrine, respectively.

During the first few centuries of Aeroshard's existance, it was controlled by Clan Aquarius. Clan Aquarius was the clan with the ability to wield the element of Wind, the only element that also belonged to The Great Shadow herself. Because of this, Aeroshard was directly under The Great Shadow's rule, and remained a holy place honoring her name and rulership over the Dark dragons for many years after her death.

But alas, that eventually came to an end. The dragons of Clan Aquarius eventually had to relocate to other parts of the Dragon realms, due to the Arcus desert's ever increasingly undesirable living conditions. After this, the dragons of Clan Libra decided to take the city as their own, with little to no resistance. What's worse, during the time of the Twilight War, the Darkstalkers desecrated the shrines of The Great Shadow, leaving them in a bastardized state even into the modern day.

During modern times, Aeroshard remained much like it used to be:

A massive Metal and stone wall surrounded the perimeter of the city, and was lined with twelve metal gates on various sides of it. Each of the gates was marked with a number from One to Twelve, similar to a clockface. The City wall also had a vast array of mounted turrets built atop it, all of them aimed in the same direction as the Gate they were placed close to.

Just inside the wall, the many city blocks were arranged in an elaborate pattern. The buildings closest to the outer wall were of the shortest height, while the buildings closer to the city's center were at least a story taller. This continued onwards into the city, until it reached the very center of the city, where the Aeroshard Temple, the highest and most heavilly defended building, towered above all others.

Many beings, both dragon and Nondragon, travelled across the many city streets. Only about half of their number were actual citizens: The rest were highly trained, well-armed and armored soldiers. They marched across the city, ready to spring into battle at a moment's notice.

If one seeked to overtake Aeroshard, they would need divine intervention.

The Three Deep Shadows, making sure that their disguises were intact, came to a landing a short distance away from the easternmost gate, Gate Nine. They then calmly approached the small group of guards that stood watch.

"Halt!" One of the Cheetah gaurds commanded, a hand raised. "What business brings you here?"

"We're just a trio of travelers." Albanion replied, bowing his head. "We only wish to stay in Aeroshard for a night's rest, and then we'll be off on our merry way to the North."

The Cheetah eyed the Red dragon for a moment, and then turned around to face the gate. He lifted up a lantern and waved it in the air at a guard who stood atop the gate, signaling him to open it. With a short pass of time and the clanking and moaning of rising metal, the Gate was opened to the city within."

"Enjoy your stay in Aeroshard." The Guard stated. He and his comrades stepped out of the way, allowing the three dragons passage into Aeroshard.

"Thank you." Albanion replied, bowing again. "May the Ancestors look after you."

The Deep Shadow and his two companions walked past the Guards and through the thick gateway. Once they had passed through, Aegis began speaking.

"The first thing we should do is find an Inn or a Tavern to stay in. We've been traveling for the better half of the day, and we need to rest to replenish our energy, regular and Dark alike."

"Once we're there, we'll need to find a way to arrange an audience with the Temple Elders." Elza added.

"I'm not so sure that Aeroshard has Elders." The Brown dragon stated.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"After the Clans were disbanded, the Ex-Monarch of Clan Libra left Aeroshard to embark in the Shipping enterprise. The Ex-Monarch of Clan Virgo stepped in to take rule over the city, which explains why it's in such a Militaristic state."

"An Earth dragon?" Elza flared with disgust. "And another Darkstalker too, no doubt."

"Not every Earth dragon is a Darkstalker, Elza." Aegis scolded.

"And just how do you know that, Aegis?" The Blue dragoness sneered.

"That's enough, Elza." Albanion demanded. "We have no time for petty arguements. We'll search for a place to rest, and then begin our search for Cyrus. End of discussion."

The Red dragon charged forwards, leaving Aegis and Elza behind. The Blue dragoness sighed. Without saying another word, she continued walking forwards, chasing after Albanion. Aegis rolled his eyes.

"Is her hatred of Clans Pisces and Virgo truly THIS intense?"

With that said, the Brown dragon followed after his two allies as they ventured deep into Aeroshard's cityblocks.

...

It was known from the beginning that the battle would not be easilly one.

Whatever the Black creatures were, they seemed to be crawling out of pools of Black energy that formed on various spots around the settlement. Furthermore, they came in three varieties.

The first variant of the creatures were small, no bigger than a young dragon scale. Their physical structure resemble a hybrid between reptile and bird, and they moved fast enough to rival a Wind dragon's speed.

The second variant were significantly larger, roughly the size of a teenaged dragon. They had eight Spider-like legs attacked to their thin bodies, three sets of fat, feathery wings attached to their torsoes, and a large, scorpion-like stinger protruded from theit tails. They also had four, soulless red eyes, and a thick horn grew out of the back of their heads.

The third and final variant was the most gruesome, athough few in number. They stood almost as tall as an adult dragon, and were similar in appearance. The Beasts had a total of Three heads attached to its torso, and fourth, smaller head grew out of their tails. Though they had no wings, their bodies were covered in black feathers, and they were able to leap over entire buildings and carriages.

The four Guardians wasted no time in rushing to aid the citizens of the settlement.

Voden came to a landing in a large clearing in the street. A good distance away stood about a half a dozen small wooden carriages, surrounded by various town blocks. The carriages themselves were surrounded by various Moles, Cats, Llamas, and the occasional dragons, all of whom were defending the carriages from swarms of those Black creatures.

When the Orange Guardian saw that the people, presumably merchants or traders, were starting to lose the battle against the beasts, He immeidately ran forwards to their aid.

Voden approached a group that of nearly a dozen of the smaller monsters and four of the Spider-like beasts, all of which were ready to strike at a merchants of Moles on the far end of the area, who were close to losing to the beasts. The Orange dragon wasted no time in unleashing a great blast of Fire breath at the monsters, spinning around to spread the flames and attack any creatures who would try to charge from behind.

When the Voden saw him attacking the beasts, they were both astounded and relieved.

"Thank you, zir!" One of them called out.

The Orange dragon had no time to reply: He was busy with the Black beasts.

As the flmes were spread out, the smaller monsters fell to the ground, twitching in agony as the flames consumed them, but the Spiderlike beasts endured the fire, continuing their haste towards Voden.

"Oh dear." Voden grimaced. "I'm almost out of magic..."

He was about to turn to flee, but suddenly aid came in the form of a barrage of Ice Spears, all of which hailed down upon the attacking monsters from the sky. As the spears impaled their targets, the Ice exploded upon impact, sending Ice shrapnel flying out in all directions. The beasts writhed and screamed in agony as they were devastated by the attacks. A short moment later. Seraph came to a landing next to Voden.

"Thanks." The Orange dragon smiled.

"Anytime." Seraph replied.

Before either dragon could do anything else, a group of two dozen more of the small monsters and a small number of adultsized monsters crawled out of pools of Darkness and ambushed the two dragons from behind.

"Oh no!" The Water dragoness shouted.

Voden and Seraph turned to fall back as fast as they could, and ended up grouping with the merchants. The two dragons quickly found themselves surrounded on multiple sides by the monsters. The Moles and other Nondragon merchants began to panic upon the sight of them.

Suddenly, Hontus came to swooping down out of the air and came to a hard landing right in the center of the group of monsters.

As he landed on all fours, a large pillar of Fire exploded into existance, surrounding the Red dragon. It lasted for only a few seconds, but managed to set all the beasts that were within or partially within the pillar aflame before it evaporated.

As the other monsters were taken alarmed by the sudden sneak attack, Hontus began chargning his magical energy. After a short moment, the Red Guardian roared loudly, causing his magic exploded out of him and cover his body entirely with red flames. A split second later, most of the flames quickly died away, with only the flames around Hontus's forelegs and hindlegs still ignited, though the scales and flesh underneath were left unburned.

By this time, the monsters were no longer phazed by the intrusion, and quickly charged to overtake the new threat. However, the time delay also allowed Voden and Seraph to reassess the situation, and they charged forwards to reenter the battle, their magic blazing. In the meantime, Hontues began thrashing about at the monsters, using his ignited talons to slice through the beats' hides and burn them alive. With the beasts caught off-guard, the Merchants in the area had regained their resolve, and began to join back into the fight.

As the battle raged on, Jules was fast approaching from the sky, ready to aid his comrades. He had reached into his satchel and produced two Blue gloves. The gloves were made of various materials, and were thickly-woven. They had several holes in them for his talons to fit through, and hat tight leather straps to prevent them from falling off.

After the Guardian had put on the gloves, he had moved into a decent enough range to launch his attacks.

"We are going to be severely tired from all of this," He commented, "but I suppose those three will feel it was worth it."

The Yellow dragon began preparing to fire down at the monsters with a few blasts of Lightning, when something else caught his attention on the other side of the battlefield.

A young dragon, or at least Jules _guessed_ it was a dragon, was fleeing from a gang of seven of the Black monsters. The reason the Guardian couldn't tell if it was a dragon or not was the fact that the fleeing being was dressed all in Black garments, which were only a few shades lighter than the beasts' hides.

"What in the world...?" Jules wondered out loud. "Are the beasts chasing after one of their own?"

Not wanting to risk the possibility of leaving a child to be torn to pieces by monsters, the Lighting Guardian turned and flew towards the young dragon.

...

The dragoness ran as far and fast as she could, but the many hideous beasts were gaining on her fast. She wished she could just fly away, but her wings were stuck in the folded in position beneath her cloak. And she didn't dare remove it.

As she ran, several more of the creatures crawled out of Black pools in the ground in front of her and cut off her path, much to her horror.

The girl found herself completely surrounded on all sides by the monsters and the wall of the bridge. The beasts started closing in with each passing second, snarling and shrieking like animals.

She had little time left

"Stay back..." The dragoness demanded fearfully. "Leave me alone..."

When the beasts didn't stop approaching, the girl started shivering.

"Alright..." She said solemnly. "I guess I have no other choice..."

The dragoness began charging the magical energy within her. She attempted to unleash a blast of Fire breath on the nearest monsters.

A small bit of flame escaped her mouth.. and then, it suddenly vanished into nothingness. But that's not all: the dragoness immediately fell onto her side, twitching in pain. The beasts continued approaching, snarling in delight...

High up above, Jules had been closing in, and had witnessed the spectacle as it happened. He gasped in surprise when he saw the girl collapse.

"By the Ancestors!" He shouted.

The Yellow dragon immediately picked up the pace, letting a barrage of Lightning bolts shoot out of his mouth. The lightning struck the beasts closest to the dragoness, causing them to writhe in agony. A short moment later, Jules came to a hard landing besides the girl.

The dragoness yelped in surprise when he did.

"Who're you?" She demanded frightfully.

"That doesn't matter." Jules replied, swinging a forepaw at an attacking monster. "Just stay behind me."

The Yellow dragon lifted a forepaw before his snout and fired a blast of Lightning at it. Instead of burning of being destroyed, the gloved paw became supercharged with electricity. After swatting away a few more of the creatures with his uncharged paw, he Guardian spread his forelegs and slammed his forepaws together.

Upon impact, both paws were equally charged with then quickly spread his forepaws, creating a thick current of Lightning between them. The dragon immediately clasped his right forepaw, breaking the current's connection to it and leaving it attached to the left forepaw. Jules then spun the current around in the air and struck the ground around him and the girl with it, causing sparks to fly with every impact.

He had created a Whip of Electricity.

The girl became astounded by this event.

"How are you doing that?" She asked.

Jules didn't take the time to answer. Instead, he focused on striking as many of the attacking beasts as possible with the whip.

Whenever one of the smaller monsters was struck, the spot on its body where it was his was burned severely, and the beast fell over on the ground, twitching in agony as its flesh began fading away into nothing. Several of the larger, Spiderlike creatures managed to withstand the attacks, and lunged forwards, stingers at the ready.

One of these monsters leapt across the air at the Yellow dragon, attempting to impale him with its stinger. He dodged to the side as the creature leapt at him, and swung the whip around its neck. Jules then kicked the beast to the ground, grabbed hold of the other end of the whip with his free forepaw, and quickly yanked backwards, causing the whip to burn its way through the monster's neck and decapitate it.

Jules, seeing that the beasts were still advancing, started charging up every last reserve of his magic. He began panting heavily as he did this: His energy was running out.

As the Lightning Guardian did this, one of the Spiderlike monsters lunged at his side to attack the dragoness. Jules tried to knock it out of the way, but the beast managed to scratch the side of the girl's torso, She yelped in pain, but Jules had no time to tend to her.

With his magic reaching the boiling point, the Yellow dragon stood over the young dragoness and placed all four of his feet on the ground, letting his whip fade away. As the monsters came charging at the two dragons, Jules unleashed his greatest attack: Electricity Fury.

A massive storm of Lightning exploded out of the adult dragon and tore right through the creatures, bombarding them with incredibly high voltages of electricity. parts of the bridge and safety wall were blasted away as well. When the magic faded away, the last of the creatures were now no more.

Jules fell over on the ground, panting like a wild animal. Pain enveloped most of the muscles in his body, and he was barely able to move. However, despite his fatigue, the Yellow dragon's primary concern was the young dragoness.

"Are you alright, young lady?" He asked.

"Um..." The girl stuttered, looking herself over. "..Yes. I think I-"

Suddenly, the dragoness gasped in shock. A small part of her cloak had a hole torn in it from when that monster scratched her. She immediately grabbed the tear with a forepaw and cowered away from the adult dragon.

"What's wrong?" Jules asked, confused by the sudden change in behavior. "Are you injured, yound lady?"

"I'm fine!" She shouted quickly. "Thank you for the help, but I've gotta go! Bye!"

The young dragoness immedieately turned to run, struggling to keep from falling over as she kept a forepaw over the spot on her cloak.

"Now wait just a minute!" Jules called after her, getting slowly back onto all fours. "What is wrong?"

But it was too late: the girl was now far ahead of the Yellow dragon. Jules sighed.

"Well, I suppose I have other matters to attend to."

Jules turned and slowly walked in the direction the girl took, since it was in the same direction as the other three Guardians and that Caravan. The whole while, he let the memory of the girl fall into the back of his mind.

...

Hontus, Seraph, and Voden lay on the ground, panting from exshaustion.

The last of the Black-hided monsters had finally been eliminated. The merchants who had been defending their property were cheering over their victory. The three Guadians, however, were not able to do the same. Between traveling across the land all day, and using every last bit of Magic they had left to aid in the battle, they were now too tired to even stand up.

When a few of the merchants saw the three tired Guardians, they ran up to them immediately.

"Are you okay, dragonz?" one of the Moles asked.

"We're fine..." Hontus stated slowly.

"I could really use some Gems, though..." Voden grimaced.

"We will get you all zum Gemz immediately, then!" A female Mole shouted.

"That's not necessary, ma'am." Seraph replied. "I don't want any."

"But you are in ze mozt horrible of conditionz, Mizz dragon!"

"Really, I'm fine."

"What seems to be going on over here?" A new voice asked.

A short distance away, a large, Purple dragon was walking towards the area. The dragon was dress in a thick Blue cloak. He was incredibly tall: Easilly able to look down at most of the fully grown dragons in the area.

The Purple dragon gasp in surprise when he saw the three guardians on the ground and ran over to them immediately.

"Oh my! Are you three well?" He asked, helping the closest one, Seraph, to her feet.

"Well, yes sir." She answered. "We..."

The Water dragoness became surprised when she saw the Purple dragon's hide.

"You're a Purple?"

"Why, of course I am, milady." He replied. "Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"

"Er, no, not at all..."

A few of the other merchants helped Voden and Hontus get to their feet, and handed them and Seraph a few Green and Red Gems.

"Thanks..." The Red dragon said after swallowing.

"How did you three end up in such states?" The Purple man asked. "You looked as though you were fightning for hours."

"Well, we were traveling through the area, when we say you lot being attacked by those strange monsters." Voden answered.

"We and another of our companions wished to come to the rescue, though we used every last bit of energy we had left." Seraph added.

"I see..." The man commented. "Well then, on behalf of my co-workers, I thank you for your trouble. Who knows what damage could've been dealt to our property, or our lives."

"You're welcome, Mr.." Hontus began.

"Benjamin." The Purple dragon stated, smiling. "I am Benjamin, the humble Magician."

The Magician turned to look around at the area, as if searching for someone.

"Something wrong?" Voden asked.

"I'm looking to see if my daughter is around and unharmed." Benjamin said, concern and worry forming on his face. "Had I known about the day's attack, I never would've allowed her to take a walk outside of the Caravan..."

"I'm sure she's okay, Mr. Benjamin." Seraph stated reassuringly. "What does she look like?"

"She's a young Purple girl. Her name is T-"

Suddenly, a young dragoness came running across the area, horror etched into her face. She was dressed entirely in Black clothing, was clutching the side of her cloak, as if it were about to bleed profusely.

"FATHER!" The girl exclaimed, rushing past the adult dragons and up to Benjamin.

"Oh, bless the ancestors you're alright." The Magician said. "What's wrong, dear?"

The dragoness quickly lifter her paw to show her father something on her cloak, and then hid it from the world once again. The Purple dragon's expression became a scowl.

"Head for our Carriage right this minute." He commanded. "Don't let anyone else inside."

"Yes, father..."

The dragoness turned and walked towards another end of the Caravan, her head bent low. The three Guardians watched her, concerened.

"What's wrong?" Seraph asked. "What was she hiding?"

"Milady, there are some things that you shoudln't inquire about." Benjamin stated, somewhat coldly.

"Why not?" Hontus asked.

"You wouldn't understand the circumstances, nor would you have symphony." The Magician turned to walk away. "You have my thanks for your deeds here, but I must leave to tend to this business of mine and my daughter's. Good day."

"Um, Good day, sir..." Voden stated.

The three Guardians watched as the Purple dragon walked away from the area, vanishing behind one of the Carriages.

"Curious.." The Orange dragon stated. "Very curious..."

"THERE you all are!.." A familiar voice shouted from behind.

The three guardians turned to see Jules slowly walking towards them, clearly tired.

"Where'd you vanish off to, Jules?" Hontus asked.

"I spotted a strange young girl being chased by several of those monsters." The Lightinig dragon answered. "After I saved her, though, she ran off in this direction for some reason. Did any of you happen to see her?"

"Yes, we did..." Seraph answered, "but her father has asked us not to worry about her."

"Her father?"

"Some Magician named Benjamin." Hontus answered.

"It's best if we honor his wishes." The Orange dragon added. "Come on: We still need to find that Inn."

"I can lead you to ze Inn!" A nearby Mole exclaimed. "It'z ze leazt we can do to thank you dragonz for your help!"

"Is that so?" Jules asked. "Lead the way, then: I can barely move in this state."

The merchant handed the Lightning dragon a few Gems, and then turned to lead the four Guardians towards the Inn. As they left, Seraph turned to look at the spot where Benjamin vanished behind a carriage.

_I wonder what she was hiding..._

With no other reason to keep looking, the Water dragoness turned and continued following the others.


	9. Act 1, Chapter 9

Act 1, Chapter 9

The sun was beginning to set on the horizon.

Rune had spent hours swimming across the Central Ocean. After a few of those hours, the young dragon had entered the area surrounding the Central Islands. He was running out of Dark energy, and had to stop somewhere before he collapsed in the water and drowned.

As their collective name implied, they were a string of small portions of land that floated in the middle of the Ocean. For centuries, the Islands belong to the dragons of Clan Pisces, the clan of Water. However, when the Clans disbanded, the islands became home to dragons of other elements, as well as many Moles and Cats.

Most of the Islands were home to more than a dozen small villages, most of which were structured around the capture and trading of fish. A few of the smaller islands, however, were completely devoid of sentient life.

Rune chose to come to a stop on the nearest island he could see. He spotted the boat port of a village, and proceeded to swim towards it.

_What are you doing, Rune?_, the Chronicler demanded.

"I'm heading for the village." The young dragon panted, hastening his swimming.

_Are you mad?_

"No..." Rune defended himself. "What's wrong, Chronicler?"

_If you head for a populated area, someone, or multiple people, will no doubt spot you! How are you going explain why a young Purple dragon is swimming across an entire Ocean?_

"Err.. I hadn't thought of that." Rune flushed with embarassment.

_Swim around the island until you find a spot where no one will notice you._

"But, I..."

_Do as I say, young dragon. Or do you wish to be found by your father's Deep Shadows?_

"As you wish, Chronicler." The young dragon sighed.

So, Rune spent a good deal of time swimming around the perimeter of the island, looking for a spot that was out of sight. The more he swam, the more his Dark energy depleted. By the time he found an ideal location on the far side of the island, he had nearly run out of energy, and struggled to keep from collapsing as he stepped onto the beach.

The sky was starting to turn dark blue as the sun set in the West. The sand beneath Rune's feet were still heated from the rays of the sun, and singed his paws slightly. On the far end of the beach stood a great thicket of Coconut trees, most of them standing almost fifteen feet high, covered in a Dark Brown back, and growing many large leaves from the top. Various Coconuts sprouted from the tops of the tall trees, while a few were laying on the dirt a short distance away.

The young dragon shuffled across the beach, breathing heavily. His vision was blurry, and most of the muscles in his body ached. With his Dark energy now completely gone, the young dragon's Shroud of Darkness vanished, and he appeared as a Black dragon once again.

"Oh no..." He said, worried.

_Worry not, Rune: no one is around to see your form._

Rune wandered into the thicket of trees a good distance, and then came to a stop behind a large Coconut tree and short bush. He then attempted to shake the sand and seawater off of himself, with little success.

_Are you alright, young dragon?_, the Chronicler asked.

"I'm... fine..." Rune wheezed.

_You're certainly in no condition in continue. You had best stop and rest for the night._

"But I... need to... find my... brother..."

_Listen to yourself, Rune. You can barely speak coherently. You must stay on this island and replenish your energy, both magical and Dark. I command it._

The young dragon sighed Tiredly.

"Fine... but how will... I find any... food..?"

_You may forage for food on the morrow. For now, go to sleep._

"Alright..."

The Black dragon shifted around on the ground until he got comfortable, and then yawned. He shut his eyes, allowing slumber to slowly take effect.

After a few minutes of trying, the young dragon had yet to fall asleep.

"Chronicler..?" He asked.

_Yes, Rune?_

"Could you... use that... sleeping... spell on me?" The Chronicler chuckled.

_As you wish, young dragon._

Within a short moment, Rune found himself once again becoming more and more tired within moments. The Chronicler was placing him under the sleeping spell once again.

"Goodnight... Chronicler..." He managed to mumble.

_Sleep well, Rune._

And with that, the young dragon slipped away into slumber.

...

The night sun was beginning to set over the Raunn Jungle.

Cyrus, Wraith, Lilith and Tina were flying East over the jungle, covering as much ground as possible. The Dark Red dragon had to carry most of the supplies, so they weren't able to move as fast as they wanted to. The adult dragoness had offered to lend her aid, but the Crimson dragon declined.

"How come you refuse to accept help?" Lilith asked.

"They actually aren't as heavy as you would expect." Wraith replied. "See, I'm using my Space element to alter their weight, rendering them easier to carry."

"That still doesn't explain why you don't just let me hold onto a few of them."

"The farther away an object is from me, the harder it is to sustain their altered gravity. Even if it's a very short distance, I would prefer to save as much of my Magical energy as possible; we're currently in need of a few more Red Gems."

"And here I thought you were just being a gentleman." Tina commented.

"Or trying to be macho." Cyrus remarked, grinning.

"Oh hush, you two."

The gang of dragons continued flying East for the next hour of so, before fatigue finally started taking hold over the Dark Red dragon. He looked around for the nearest clearing in the Jungle canopy, and then led the group there.

The clearing was rather small: just big enough to fit the four dragons within the thick walls of Jungle trees. The Sky was slowly changing a shade of Deep Blue, and the clouds were becoming less nocturnal birds and mammals could be heard awakening all around the dragons.

Wraith sat the various bags and satchels down on the grass, and then immediately collapsed onto the ground, letting out a long sigh. Tina laughed at this.

"Getting sleepy, Wraith?" She chided.

"Yes. Yes I am."

Lilith came to a landing and grabbed hold of a few nearby sacks.

"I suppose I'll set up the tents tonight, then." She stated.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." The Crimson dragon stretched his limbs, rolled over, and yawned. "I'm going to sleep, and I don't care if it's on a pile of dirt. Goodnight."

"'Night, Wraith." Cyrus said, grinning.

"Don't get any ideas while I'm out cold, your Highness."

While Wraith slept, The Mustard Yellow Deep Shadow got to work setting up the tents for herself and the two children to sleep in. Tina helped her mother out with the tarps and poles, while Cyrus only sat nearby and watched and watched. The younger dragoness glared at the Prince.

"You _could_ help us out, you know." She said sternly.

"I would, but it doesn't seem like you need it." He replied. "So I'll just wait over here."

Tine groaned with contempt.

"If you don't help, you'll have to sleep out in the open!"

"What?" Cyrus protested. "Why?"

"You can't just sit on your rear, Runt." The dragoness scolded. "You have to earn your place to sleep, or you don't get one."

"Says who?"

"I say so, your highness." Lilith answered, glaring slightly. "It's only fair that you help out."

"But Wraith isn't doing anything either!" The Black dragon stated.

"That's because he went through the trouble of carrying all the supplies for us the whole way." The Deep Shadow responded. "And besides, he doesn't care where he sleeps anyway, so he doesn't count. So either help with the tents, or sleep out in the open tonight."

The Prince thought for a moment, but ultimately got up and started helping. He complained to himself the whole time, but tried to hide it from the dragonesses.

Eventually, the two large tents were finally set up and ready to be used. Cyrus climbed into one of them and sat down to get some rest. Lilith and Tina followed in after him.

"You need to learn some humility, Prince Cyrus." The adult dragoness stated. "Your father would not approve of your behavior."

Cyrus, who had been curled up in a ball on the ground, suddenly frowned at the mention of his father.

"Of course he wouldn't approve..." He stated solemnly. "He never approves of anything I say or do, because he never even takes the time to see what I'm saying or doing. Father barely even acknowledges that I exist!"

"Oh, come now." Lilith said reassuringly. "That couldn't possibly be true."

"Think about it, Lilith! How long did it take for him to realize I was missing? By the time he found out, I was all the way to the Mountains of Inferdus already. I'm still surprised he bothered to send you guys to find me."

"Cyrus, you're being too hard on him." Tina responded.

"No, I'm not!" He snapped.

"Tina, dear, you don't need to help." Lilith said to her daughter. "Just go get some rest in the other tent, okay?"

"Alright, Mom.."

The younger dragoness turned to walk out of the tent.

"Goodnight, Runt."

As Tina left, Lilith sat down beside Cyrus.

"Why are you so insistent on this, your highness?" She asked.

"Dad doesn't pay me any attention anymore." He said sadly. "No matter what I do, no matter how good I get with magic I get, no matter how much trouble I get into, he never even spends so much as two minutes in the same room as me."

The Black dragon started crying slightly. He rolled over onto his side, so the dragoness wouldn't see it.

"Dad doesn't care about me."

"Stop it, Cyrus." The Deep Shadow scolded. "Your father _does_ care about you."

"You're wrong, Lilith."

"If he doesn't care about you, then why did he send so many of the Deep Shadows to find you?"

"Probably so he doesn't look like an asshole around his subjects. It's to keep everyone from thinking he's a terrible King."

"That's not it at all!" Lilith shouted. "Your father doesn't want you getting killed by Light dragons because you were on your own and exposed. We were sent to protect you, and bring you back home where you'd be safe. He loves you, Cyrus. Don't you see?"

"Bullshit."

The dragoness groaned with contempt.

"Why are you so willing to believe he doesn't care for you? He's your father. All fathers care for their children."

"Not **my** father. He was practically never around when Rune and I were little. And when our family died, he cried a river for Mom, but practically forgot all about Rune and the fact that they couldn't even find his body. I'll bet that most of the time, he pretends that he never even _had_ children."

Lilith sneered at the Prince.

"Enough of this!" She exclaimed angrilly. "I've had enough of your ignorance for one day! I was only trying to lighten your spirits, but you're being far too insufferable! If you won't listen to me, then I'll stop talking to you."

The dragoness turned around to walk out of the tent.

"You had better pray that I don't decide to put an end to your plans to revive your mother, Cyrus."

The Black dragon gasped.

"No!" He protested. "I need to bring her back! She's the only person that Dad will listen to!"

Lilith growled.

"Once again, you insist that your father doesn't love you..." The dragoness scowled. "You're hopeless."

The dragoness walked out of the tent, scowling.

Cyrus just stood on the ground, shedding a few tears.

"Don't force me to go back..." He begged quietly to himself. "I want mother back..."

The Black dragon curled into a ball on the ground and shut his eyes.

"You don't understand, Lilith..." He said as he slowly slipped into slumber. "You could NEVER understand..."

With that said, the Prince fell under the influence of sleep.

...

Blank, Nellie and Emerald had been flying over the Central Ocean for a good while.

Ever since they left the mainland, the Earth dragoness couldn't help but wonder. What exactly were those black creatures that attacked the settlements? Where did they come from? Were there even more of them somewhere? Well, there was no time to wonder about these things. The trio had only one goal: Find Rune's kidnappers.

As the sun began to set, the three young dragons started approaching one of the larger Islands in the chain that floated between the two Continents in the Central Ocean. Blank let out a yawn.

"Hey girls, I'm getting tired again." He said behind himself. "Maybe we should stop for some rest."

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Emerald agreed, also yawning slightly.

"Are you sure about that, guys?" Nellie asked, frowning. "I've still got some energy left."

"I'm positive, Nellie." The Green dragoness stated. "Plus, it's getting late: It'd be stupid to try and fly across the ocean in the middle of the night, even for a Water dragoness. No offense."

"Oh, okay..."

"Sweet!" Blank shouted. He led the two girls down to a spot on the island that he felt would be best to sleep on.

A short while later, the three young dragons were curled up underneath a set of Coconut trees.

The sky above them had given away to night, and various stars could be seen already. A chilly wind blew across the land, causing a few of the coconuts to fall from their places in the trees. One of the coconuts struck Blank's back, causing him to yelp in surprise. The two girls laughed at this.

"Get it away from me!" The Orange dragon shouted, tossing the nut across the canopy.

"And here I thought you were only frightened by spiders." Emerald chided.

"Hardy har har, Emmy." Blank sneered.

"Oh calm down, Blank." Nellie stated. "Didn't you say you wanted to get some rest?"

"You're right: I did." The Orange dragon curled back up and rested his head softly on the ground. "Night, girls."

"Goodnight." They said in unison.

Before long, the air was filled by Blank's soft yet noticeable snoring. Nellie and Emerald started looking up at the night sky. The planet's twin moons shined brightly in the heavens, while the constellation of a great mighty dragon floated in the great abyss.

Before long, the Blue dragoness began thinking of something. She then turned to talk to the Green dragoness.

"Hey, Emerald?" She asked.

"Yeah, Nellie?" Emerald asked back. "What's up?"

"Do.. Do you think the others are worried about Rune, too?"

"Others?" The Green dragoness queried. "Who do you mean?"

"I'm talking about Roxanne." Nellie answered. "And Vaun and Aaron, too."

Emerald groaned.

"I don't see why you'd want to mention **those three**." She scolded. "You know how I feel about that girl."

"You may not like her, Emerald," the Blue dragoness replied, "but she's still my friend, and Rune's too."

"Well, to answer your question, I suppose that Roxanne is indeed worried about Rune." Emerald stated. "But I'm glad that you didn't think of asking HER to come along on this maddrake's mission: I'd never hear the end of her complaining."

The Green dragoness quickly glanced over at Blank.

"Or HIS, for that matter: Blank and Aaron have never been able to get along."

Nellie giggled.

"No, they haven't..."

The Blue dragoness returned her gaze to the sky.

"But to be honest," Emerald said, "I wouldn't be surprised if Roxanne and her two goons have already left Glenhaven to perform a little rescue mission of their own."

"Maybe..." Nellie added.

Suddenly, something caught the Blue dragoness's attention.

"Emerald, do you see what I see?"

"Uh, that depends. What do you see?"

"Look..." Nellie pointed up at the sky with a talon.

High up in the sky, the Twin Moons were in a spot that was directly over the location of the North Star Vergus.

"Aren't the moons supposed to be to the East of the star?" Nellie asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well they aren't now."

Emerald looked for a time, and then gasped.

"You're right: they aren't. That's weird..."

"Has that ever happened before?" The Blue dragoness queried.

"Not as far as I know."

Nellie gulped.

"I don't know why, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this..."

...

As Rune slept, his mind was plagued once again by a nightmare.

The Black dragon found himself locked completely in chains and shackles. His fore-ankles were locked together, as her his hind-ankles. Metal chains were wrapped around his wings, forcing them shut. A Metal muzzle was covering most of Rune's snout, allowing only just enough room for him to breath and speak, but unable to use breath attacks.

Before Rune could make sense of what was going on, someone struck him hard against the back of the neck, knocking him to the ground. Immediately afterwards, a set of chains pulled him forwards, forcing the young dragon to get back up to keep from being dragged across the floor.

"Get up, you slime!" A familiar voice hissed.

It was Albanion.

"Wh... What?" Rune asked, confused.

"MOVE IT!" A Dark Green dragoness roared. Elza.

The two Deep Shadows were each floating in the air nearby, each one dragging Rune ahead on a chain. Both of them glared down at the young dragon, rage and disgust upon their faces. The young dragon had to crawl to keep his balance.

Suddenly, Rune realized where he was, and his heart nearly leapt from his chest.

"No..." He mumbled in fear.

The Black dragon was being forced to crawl across the main street of The Hive, in the dead of night.

As Rune was forced to crawl across the city, countless Dark dragons of various ages stood on either side of the street. All of them were booing and hissing at the young dragon. A million shouts of rage filled the young dragon's ears.

"Traitor!"

"Doublecrosser!"

"Everything that's happened is YOUR fault!"

"Why are you doing this?" Rune shouted at the Deep Shadows, tears in his eyes. "Where are you taking me?"

Albanion turned around and struck Rune across the face with a forepaw, causing a small cut to form near the young dragon's eye.

"Silence, Traitor!" The Dark Grey dragon sneered.

Rune started crying even harder. In responce to this, Elza struck him across the other side of his face, causing another wound.

"SHUT IT!" She demanded.

The Black dragon whimpered, but said nothing else.

For a time, Albanion and Elza forced Rune across The Hive, letting the Dark dragons voice their anger and hatred at the poor boy. Some of the members of the mob even started throwing rocks at the young dragon.

Over and over again, sharp bursts of pain scattered across Rune's body as he was pelted by countless stones. He wanted to cry out, but he feared getting struck by one of the Deep Shadows again. So, he only held his head low in shame, a river of tears flowing down his face and a multitude of streams of blood forming on his cheeks and back.

_Why..?,_ he wondered, starting to hiccup. _Why is this happening to me?_

Eventually, the Deep Shadows arrived at their destination: the Hive Palace, the grandest building in the city.

Hive Palace was a massive building, composed of a multitude of towers and arches. A series of Pillars were placed along the walls of the Palace: Each one shaped like a Black dragon, with his forelegs lifted upwards to keep the upper segments of the palace erect. Each and every one of the pillars' faces glaring down at Rune from where they stood, the same fiery anger and hatred in their eyes as the living dragons.

Rune was dragged through the many hallways of the building, until he was brought to it's largest room: The Throne Room.

The left and right sides of the chamber were more Dark dragon civilians, all of them equally enraged at the sight of Rune. Several more of the Deep Shadows, some of whom Rune couldn't recognize, stood at the very front of the crowd. In the center of the chamber sat a great Golden cushion, which was used as a throne. And on this throne, almost completely shrouded in Darkness, stood a great, Black dragon.

It was Bane: Rune's father, and the King of the Dark dragons.

_Oh no..._ Rune began shivering in fear.

The only thing that Rune could make out of his father was his great, Golden eyes, which glared down at the young dragon with absolute animosity. Rune's brother Cyrus stood a short distance to Bane's left, equally disgusted by the sight of him.

Albanion and Elza came to a stop a short distance away from Bane and walked towards either side wall of the chamber a short distance, leaving Rune completely exposed and at the mercy of the Black dragon King.

The young dragon whimpered at his father looked down at him from his throne, scanning him over as if searching for something.

Bane then looked away from Rune, and at his Deep Shadows.

"Tell me." He stated in a deep, powerful voice. "What does this child stand accused of?"

A thickly-built Deep Shadow who Rune recognized as a dragon named Grail stepped forwards from the crowd and began speaking.

"Your highness, this boy stands accused of the crime of high treason." The man declared.

"No!" Rune shouted.

"SILENCE!" The King snapped.

Immeidately, a Red lightning bolt from Bane's mouth struck the young dragon across the face, knocking him backwards. Rune got back onto his feet, clutching his face and whimpering softly as blood started pooling from the wound, while Grail continued.

"The boy foolishly let slip a vital secret within our enemies' view, thus allowing them to discover the location of our home and destroy it, as well as lay wast to countless lives. Our entire race is doomed to extinction, all because of **him**." Grail pointed an accusing talon at Rune.

"He's also at fault for causing the death of my mother!" Cyrus shouted, scowling at Rune.

"Is that so?" Bane queried. "Well then, What do you have to say in defense, boy?"

"I..." Rune stuttered. "I... I didn't mean to let this happen. I swear, I..."

"Still thine tongue, you churlish slug." Bane said coldly. The King looked across the room at his Deep Shadows. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

All at once, the eight Deep Shadows exclaimed the same word.

"GUILTY!"

"The majority has it, then." Bane glared down at Rune. "As King of the Dark dragons, what little remain of them, I hereby find you guilty of High Treason and accessory to genocide."

Rune's eyes flared with fear once again.

"No..."

"I sentence you to Death, by my own forepaws!"

The Black dragon stepped off of his throne and began charging Black energy into his being.

"NO!" Rune protested.

"Serves you right, traitor!" Cyrus sneered.

The young dragon tried to turn to crawl away, but Albanion and Elza held on tightly to the chains, forcing Rune to sit helplessly on the floor before Bane.

As the King prepared to attack Rune, the adult Black dragon began speaking coldly to him.

"Be thankful, boy. The punishment that _I_ am giving you is a lenient one. It is **your Mother** who will enact her full wrath upon you, in the Underworld!"

"No, please!" Rune begged. "I'm sorry!"

"Give your plea to Her."

And with that said, Bane unleashed a great Blast of Dark energy at Rune, completely encasing the younger dragon and clouding his vision...

Moments later, Rune found his legs and wings completely free to move around. However, he also found himself falling at an incredible speed through a great Black abyss.

"Oh no..." He said, horror filling his being. "I'm... I'm..."

After he said this, he heard a voice that made his spine twinge with fear.

"YOU!"

A moment later, two great, Red eyes opened up before him, and glared directly into his. A gigantic forepaw came flying towards Rune a split second later.

The Black dragon tried to flee, but was helpless before the giantess as she pulled him up to her face.

"You would DARE show your face to me, after you set into motion the event that would leave me TRAPPED here for eternity?"

The dragoness proceeded to crush the tiny dragon, causing him to scream in pain.

"Wait!" He begged. "I can free you from this! I just need to get to the Pit of the Fallen!"

"BAH!" The dragoness snapped. "Do you think you can temper my Ire so easilly?"

"I just want to fix my mistakes!" Rune shouted, crying. "Please, Mother, just let me try..."

"You are NOT my child!"

The dragoness began driving her talons into Rune's neck.

"No... Stop..."

But the dragoness didn't stop. Continued impaling the young dragon, until she was able to tear his head off his neck...

_WAKE UP, RUNE!_

The young dragon woke with a gasp, tears pouring from his face and his heart racing in his chest.

"What? Where am I?"

Rune looked around, finding himself layin in the same spot he had chosen to sleep in earlier.

_You are safe, Rune_. The Chronicler said reassuringly. _You were having another nightmare. I managed to pull you free of it before you gave yourself a heart attack and died._

"Th.. thank you..."

The Black dragon sat up, crying and sniffling.

"It was horrible." He whimpered. "I begged and pleaded, but nobody would listen to me. I was trapped. Helpless. Unable to do anything to defend myself..."

_Is that so..._

As the dragon cried, a new emotion began forming in his chest. He began to glare.

"It's not fair..." He said.

_Hmm? What isn't fair, Rune?_

"Everything!" He shouted. "All I want to do is make things right! To fix my mistakes! But nobody ever listens to me!"

The Black dragon's anger began to grow.

"Instead, they go out of their way to make me feel miserable and weak! I can't STAND that! Everyone always has power over me!"

Rune glared up at the night sky. As he flared his anger, something happened that he didn't realize.

During his outburst, his body began glowing with a feint, Purple aura. The layer of skin and scales around his eyes began changing in color: They went from a Midnight Black, to a Snow White.

"I **HATE** feeling weak!" Rune bellowed. "I hate having to be afraid of everyone around me all the time! I hate fearing for my life!"

More of the area around Rune's eyes began changing White, and the Purple aura began growing stronger.

"I swear, It makes me so mad that I could... I could... !"

_Kill everyone you know and love?_, The Chronicler asked.

The young dragon gasped after hearing this question. The aura around his body vanished, and his scales were completely Black once again.

"No.." He said fearfully. "I would never want to..."

_You had best watch yourself, young dragon._ The Chronicler scolded. _The last thing you should do is let your unhappiness drive you towards madness._

"You're right..." Rune said ashamedly. "I'm Sorry, Chronicler."

_Your apology is accepted._

"Thank you..."

_You see? Not every apology you make will be rejected, Rune. Forgiveness is not always beyond your reach._

"Okay..."

_Now then, you should return to sleep. Your journey to the Pit of the Fallen has only just begun._

The Chronicler placed the sleeping spell over the Black dragon once again As Rune lay back down on the ground, he said one last thing to his mysterious ally.

"Goodnight, Chronicler."

_Sleep well, young dragon._

And with that, Rune slipped into slumber once again.

But the Chronicler did not break away from his connection to the Black dragon. Instead, he stayed with him, and chuckled triumphantly to himself.

_Yes... Sleep well, boy. Your ultimate destiny awaits._


	10. Act 1, Chapter 10

Act 1, Chapter 10

Warfang, the Capital of the Northern Continent, stood prominent on the Veros Outskirts as the sun began to set.

Warfang was the oldest of the four Great Dragon Cities, having lasted for centuries before the others were even conceived of. When the Great Cleansing caused the world to be completely rearranged, the old ruins beneath Warfang were lost in the destruction, and the land around the city was re-terraformed, becoming the Outskirts. Since then, it had been rebuilt and christened the City of Commerce. And after the Twilight War ended, Warfange became populated by only one type of dragon: Light.

All across the city, Dragons, Moles, Cats and other species wandered about Warfang's many streets, going about their daily lives. Wagons and Carriages went around and about, heading towards a multitude of destinations. Various vendors sold their goods and provided services in exchanged for coins. On the east side of the city, several Cheetah Soldiers chased after a thief who had stolen a pouch of gold from a humble Mole beggar. On the Northwestern side of Warfang, young children played happily in a large park, being watched over by their parents.

It was just another day in Warfang for the citizens. Nobody expected any wrongdoing to be rapidly approaching fruition. Nobody expected that, at that very moment, a multitude of invaders had already overtaken the city streets, disguised as more Light dragon citizens.

Nobody expected Death.

...

Near the center of the Dragon Temple, only a few blocks away, sat a group of four "Light" dragons, hidden away in a deep, dark alleyway. Two were males, and the others were females.

Each of the four wore the same attire: a thick, brown set of robes that covered their backs and part of their limbs, which were tied together with a thin red rope around their necks.

One of the females was a slender "Fire" dragoness, in her mid thirties. Her hide was painted with an intricate, Red-and-Orange flame pattern. She had bright yellow eyes, and a long, Pink mane. She had bright red, tusk-like horns, which extended out from under her beak-like snout.

The other female was a "Water" dragoness, roughly the same age as the Red one. She had an Ocean Blue hide, and a light blue underbelly. She was of the shortest stature of the dragons in the group, being roughly a half a head shorter than the other female. Her build was well-curved, with her rear being of noticeable size. She had three Green horns atop her head,which bent backwards down the topside of her head and towards her neck. She had crimson eyes, and a short Red mane, which was tied in thick braids.

One of the males was a thickly build "Earth" dragon in his early fifties. The bulky male had a Light Green hide and a Light brown underbelly. He had a brown mane, which had been trimmed short. Five thick Yellow horns crowned his head, all of them bent backwards like short Lightning bolts. His right eye was Emerald Green: He lost his other eye in a previous battle. A long red scar stretched across the left side of his face, where the eye should have been.

The leader of the four, a "Purple" dragon somwhere in his mid-thirties, glared up at the Temple. He had two large, Bronze horns curled upwards and backwards on his head. His eyes shined a Light Blue, yet were filled with animosity. His mane appeared to be Brown in color, and fell down to his lower jaw. A short, brown beard His Brown robes concealed two items that hung around his neck on two diffrent binds: A Jade necklace of intricate design, and a Dark, Purple Crystal.

It had been ages since the man had returned to this city. He used to visit Warfang at least ten times a year, trading with unsuspeting merchants. During those days, he came to this city as a nomad seeking goods for his people. But today, he came with one thing in mind: retribution.

As the Purple dragon continued his hate-filled gaze, the Earth dragon caught his attention.

"When shall we begin, Mi'lord?" He asked.

The Purple dragon turned to his comrade.

"Are all the able-bodied warriors in position?" The younger male asked.

"Yes, sire." The Fire dragoness answered.

"Good..." The Purple declared. "Then the only thing left to do now is initiate the plan. All of you: report to your assigned stations immediately."

"Are you sure you wish to initiate phase one on your own, sire?" The Water dragoness asked. "Would it not be wiser for one of us to accompany you?"

The leader looked into his subordinate's eyes. Despite his seemingly stoic demeanor, a flood of rage was waiting behind his gaze.

"It is my own challenge to face." He stated.

Withthat said, the Purple summoned an orb of Black energy into his forepaw, and then shot it at the ground. Within moments, a large portal of the same enery appeared before the group.

"Now away with you: we have little time to act."

"As you wish, mi'lord." The three others stated in unison.

As he trio of minions walked forwards through the black portal, the Water dragoness stopped to look at her leader.

"Take care, sire." She advised.

When her master did not respond, the dragoness continued walking and vanished from view.

The Purple dragon, now alone, took a moment to reach into a brown sack around his waist and retrieve a silver coin. This was no mere piece of currency. On one side, there was an engraving of a Black dragon being beheaded by a dragon of pure gold. On the other side was a message inscribed in ancient draconian runes:

_Umbrus sivi Superus. _Light shines Supreme.

This coin belonged to a secret sect of Light dragons who devoted their lives to slaughtering Dark dragons. They had called themselves, fittingly enough, the Darkstalkers.

For several years after the war officially ended, the Darkstalkers still hunted down the Dark dragons, even the ones who didn't even choose a side. Many innocent lives were executed. But the Darkstalkers' biggest victory came when they brought The Hive onto its knees.

The dragon angrily squeezed the coin in his paw, almost about to crush it. But he knew better then that. He had gained this coin when he slew a high-ranking Darkstalker in combat a few months prior to this evening. The coin was the key to getting into the organization's Headquarters.

The Purple dragon returned the coin to its pouch and began to turn around to leave the alleyway. However, as he began to make his first steps, someone spoke to him from behind.

"So, you really are about to go through with this."

Surprised, the Purple dragon turned around and got into a battle stance.

"Who's there?" He demanded.

A large, aged dragon in a brown set of robes stepped out of the shadows of the alleyway. The old man, who also had a Purple hide, stared across the way at the younger nomad.

"Who are you?" The Nomad demanded. "How long were you spying on me?"

"I know about your entire conspiracy." The old man replied. "It would be ill-advised to put this plan into motion, Dark one."

The younger man flinched in alarm. He prepared to attack, but the Elder dragon only nodded his head.

"Don't bother; I'm not an enemy of yours." He stated.

"How do you know who I am?" The nomad demanded.

"I've known you for longer than you know."

"What?"

"I've been wise to what you're planning to do to this city and the Light dragons who reside in it, and you must be stopped."

The nomad let out a growl and began calling upon his magic.

"You would dare to challenge me?" He snarled.

"Of course not." The old man responded. "I would prefer it if you merely listened to reason."

"Bah! I have no time for the mad ramblings of an old man!"

The younger Purple dragon turned to leave the alleyway again, but the older drake stepped forwards.

"Abandon this scheme of yours while you still can; You will be bringing ruin to those who don't deserve it!"

"I know _exactly_ who shall have ruin brought upon them." The nomad snapped. "The monsters and oppressors who deserve it."

"You're a fool!"

Tired of hearing the elder dragon speak, the nomad turned around and unleashed a mighty Fireball in the old man's direction.

However, the younger Purple dragon was surprised to find that the old man had vanished from view: There was not a trace that he was even there. With nothing blocking its path, the fireball continued traveling down the alleyway and collided with a pile of wastebins, setting them aflame.

The nomad stood in the alleyway for a time, trying to decide if he hadn't imagined the encounter.

"Was that real?" He wondered. "It seemed like it..."

The Purple dragon used his Water breath to douse the flames before the smoke could be noticed, and then turned to leave.

"It doesn't matter whether it was real or not; there are deeds to be done."

As the nomad walked, he began to repeat the old man's words in his head.

"He seemed to know who I am, yet I don't recall his face." The Purple dragon shook his head. "It must've been a trick."

...

The dragon wandered the city streets, the same streets he wandered so long ago. He watched crowds of people that passed by him. Moles, Cats of multiple species, and countless Light dragons. Not a single other dark dragon was visible.

Good.

The Purple nomad had spent weeks preparing for this event. He had to gather enough hardy souls willing to put their lives at risk for this one plan. And after a grueling amount of time, he had finally gathered enough dragons to begin. This would be the day Warfang would fall.

The nomad looked up into the sky. He was almost at the grandest building in all of Warfang: The Dragon Temple.

The Temple was the most adored site to the city's citizens; a monument of triumph in a monument of triumph. This was the building Purple dragon seeked.

The nomad walked up the great stoop of the temple and entered the building, walking past dozens of onlookers and scholars going about their business. He spent a good half an hour wandering the Temple's many halls, trying to find the destination he learned of. And then, at long last, he found it: the chamber of the Elders of Warfang Temple. His determination flared.

_It begins…_, he thought to himself.

He made sure nobody else was approaching, and walked up to the great Metal doors. He banged on it hard three times. After a moment, a Fire guardian dragon opened the door.

"Who are you?" He asked the visitor. "What is your business here?"

"I wish to speak with the Elders…" The nomad held up the coin. "... Alone."

The Purple dragon spoke with the voice of a calm young man, using his Sound element to hide his true voice.

The guardian took the coin and studied it. After seeing the engraving, he gasped, handing the coin back swiftly.

"Uh, come right in!" He said.

The guardian unwittingly let the nomad into the chamber.

The Elders' chamber was one of the biggest rooms in the Temple, or so the nomad heard. There were scores of bookshelves surrounding the circular walls of the room. The room's ceiling was about three floors up. Gigantic windows were at the top of the room, shining bright light into the room.

The four dragon Elders, one of each of the four elements of Fire, Lightning, Earth and Water, were standing around a mystic green pool, locked in conversation.

"Um, my lords…" the guardian said to gain their attention. Once he had it, he continued. "There is a visitor here to speak with you. He's a member of, well…"

The Purple dragon held up the coin. The Elders saw it.

"Clyde, leave us." The Fire Elder commanded. The guardian nodded and left the room. The nomadwalked up and gently set his coin before the pool. He then recited the first half of the Darkstalkers' greeting ritual.

"Tamquam longus tamquam Tenebra tamen accola in,…" He said.

As long as Darkness still lives on….

"…Lux voluntas numquam quiesco", the Elders said, drawing coins of their own and placing them next to his.

..Light will never rest.

The Purple dragon had stripped the knowledge of this ritual from the mind of the same Darkstalker he had killed to retrieve the coin. Letting the memory fade away, he spoke to the Elders.

"It is an honor to meet the last high ranking members of our sacred order. My name is Roxedis." He paused to bow to them. "If my memory doesn't fail me, your names are: Apellion, of Fire, Odyn, of Lightning, Poseidun, of Water, and Richteriel, of Earth."

He glanced at the Elders yet again. They all appeared both very old and very powerful. Each dragon's hide matched his respective Element, and their underbellies were of slightly lighter shades. Their horns were grand, and worn with age.

"What brings a fellow Darkstalker to us at this time?" Odyn asked.

"Nothing of great import. I am just traveling across the land, stopping here and there on a whim. Although, I have recently been told that you four orchestrated the event that would be our Order's greatest victory." He spoke with a silver tongue.

"Ah, yes, the destruction of The Hive." Richteriel said. "That was our finest work."

"If it isn't too much trouble for you, Elders, could you recall the tale of how it was accomplished?"

"Why not? We are not busy at the moment." Odyn responded. The other elders nodded in agreement.

_Arrogant bastards_, the Purple dragon snarled in his mind.

Apellion began the tale:

"For the longest time, a number of our members speculated that there may be an entire colony of Dark Dragons. Many traveled the farthest reaches of our world, but could not find a trace of it. Then, around nine years ago, a large number of dragon nomads started wandering across the land. They would come to a city, purchase a great quantity of goods, and then leave the town, somehow vanishing without a trace."

Odyn spoke next.

"What was even stranger is that the dragons seemed to come into existence from out of nowhere. After keeping as much of a watch as was possible on the nomads, it was theorized that they were an entire group of Dark dragons in disguise, gathering the supplies for their brethren. At least, that was an idea."

_You were correct._

Richteriel was next to speak.

"Then, around five years ago, the leader of the group of nomads arrived, yet again, to Warfang. Only on _this_ particular trip, he brought along two new nomads; to small dragons, presumably his sons."

_Rune and Cyrus._

Odyn spoke again:

"A few of our members kept a close watch on these boys. They were surprised when one of the boys mentioned something about a place called 'The Hive'. Intrigued by this, the members formulated a plan to get the boy away to question him. They were delighted to see him run away from the group on his own to explore. After finding him and tricking him a little, the boy did something surprising; he was wearing a disguise, as was theorized, but it was the most perfect disguise ever seen. He had bonded Dark energy to his scales, horns and eyes, changing their color to hide his true form: He was a young Dark dragon. But not just _any _Dark dragon: He was a **Black** dragon.

"After having our suspicions confirmed, we sent a few other members to follow the 'nomads' back to where they came from. They were led all the way to a city in the sky."

"City in the sky?" the nomad asked.

"Oh, yes." Apellion answered, nodding. "The Dark dragons had managed to craft a gigantic, technological city that could float in the air, high above the world. And this fortress was named 'The Hive'. A fitting name, for it was the home of hundreds of Dark dragons, like a giant hive of insects that needed to be exterminated."

The Purple dragon snarled in his mind once again.

"Once the theorized dragon city was confirmed to be reality," Richteriel started, "The spies we sent wasted no time flying back to Warfang. Once we learned the information, we wasted no time in launching an attack. Hundreds of Darkstalkers stormed The Hive the following day, intent on its destruction."

"And they succeeded." the nomad replied. The Elders nodded.

"We destroyed their Hub of Evil, and killed almost all of them. The ones that survived were scattered, just like they were when the war ended. The downside is that we lost a great many of our own number as well. But, it is alright. They were acceptable losses for the greater good."

_Acceptable losses. _That was a phrase that every dark dragon loathed.

"Tell me, my Elders, which among you was the one who made the final decision to storm The Hive?"

"That is an easy question." Richteriel said, beaming. "It was I".

"I see….." The Purple dragon stated. "Thank you... For admitting your guilt!"

As he shouted the last part of his sentence, the nomads eyes turned pure golden. Once he finished shouting, he immediately fired a blast of Red Lightning at Richteriel.

The other three Elders were shocked to see their comrade fall to the floor, twitching violently and shouting in pain. As this happened, the Purple dragon charged his left foreleg with his Earth element, and swung his fist down upon the Earth Elder's head. Richteriel's skull was shattered to pieces upon impart, and his blood started to pool on the floor.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Odyn screamed.

The Lightning elder fired a great blast of Yellow lightning at the Purple dragon. The nomad merely lifted his right paw, allowing the Lightning to strike his talons. He just stood there, completely unharmed, much to Odyn's amazement.

The Purple dragon then lifted his other paw and fired a blast of Red lightning at the Lightning Elder. The old dragon twitched in agony as the Red lightning completely took control of his body. The njomad lifted the Elder into the air with the electric current.

"How does it feel, dear elder?" He asked coldly. "To be he defeated by your own element?"

The Purple dragon swung his arm sharply, sending Odyn flying to the bookcase on the far wall. He then hit the floor, lifeless.

"How did you do that?" Apellion demanded. The Purple dragon tore his robe off, revealing his body.

"Do you recall the color of my eyes?" the nomad asked. His voice slowly became deeper and deeper as the Sound magic wore off.

Apellion fired a blast of Fire at the Purple dragon, but heunleashed a torrent of Wind, extinguishing the flames before they could travel far.

"Perhaps you will recall the color of my hide." The Purple dragon walked forwards, forcing the two living Elders to retreat. With each step he took and word he spoke, the "nomad" changed back into his true form.

"Yes, I am a Dark dragon. But no ordinary one…" His underbelly turned blood as red. His mane grew longer and turned silver.

"… I am the most powerful breed of them all…" His two large horns turned grey, and four smaller ones burst out of his lower jaw, taking form behind his head.

"…Look well, dear elders. What do you see?…" His clan birthmark shined a vibrant blue on his upper arms: Two large hourglasses. His bushy grey beard came back into existence.

"Do you see the color of a long-dead hero?" His hide faded into Black. Black as the night itself.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Poseidun demanded.

"Who am I? I am Bane, descendent of The Great Shadow, and ruler of the Dark dragons."

Bane came to a stop, and unfolded his wings, as if he were about to fly. Instead, he somehow lifted himself directly upwards, and levitated above the Elders' heads. He held his right paw out, and a mass of darkness appeared around it. When it faded, Bane was holding a large sword in his grip.

The sword's blade was Silver in color, and decorated with Gold patterns. The Hilt was completely Black, with the image of a Blue hourglass etched into each side of the guard. A large Garnet gemstone was emblazoned in the sword's pommel.

Suddenly, Bane vanished in a cloud of smoke, to the Elders' astonishment. Then, he almost instantly reappeared between Apellion and Poseidun. He swung his sword and decapitated Apellion. The headless body fell to the floor, spilling blood allover it.

"This is the price you pay for what you have done to my people." Bane said coldy.

He turned to face Poseidun, who, in a panic, had backed into the far wall.

"Let me live, please! I had no hand in The Hive's destruction!" Poseidun pleaded.

"You think I would believe that lie?" Bane exclaimed.

"Have mercy!"

"Mercy? Did your army of Darkstalkers show mercy to my kind? Even though we did nothing to warrant it, you invaded our home and killed many innocent lives, including my Father, Wife, and one of my sons!" Bane floated forward and grabbed Poseidun's neck. Poseidun instantly started twitching in agony as the magic assaulted his nervous system. The Water dragon began coughing up blood.

"Feel this Pain! Elenar's Pain!"

Bane then tossed the water Elder onto the floor. As he tried to crawl away, Bane brought his sword through the elder's forehead, killing him.

Bane looked around. The ones who were responsible for The Hive's destruction lay dead at his paws, and their blood pooling on the floor. His sword faded away into nothingness.

The Black dragon heard someone open the door. It was the one called Clyde, the guardian from earlier. Before the man could scream, he felt an invisible force pull him into the room and before Bane. The King held a paw out, his eyes starting to glow white.

Suddenly, a great pool of Black energy flowed from Bane's paws, soon covering the entire floor. Out from the darkness, a score of monsters started crawling out. They were hideous beasts, half bird and half reptile. Some were small and fleet-footed, while others were large, their scales resembling armor.

The monsters surrounded Clyde, who was horrified by the sight.

"Crepsculi," Bane said to them. "do as you please with this one."

The monsters growled angrily, and proceeded to jump at the poor soul. Bane extended his wings again and floated upwards towards the ceiling, the guardian crying out in agony as the Crepsculi tore him limb from limb.

Bane burst through the ceiling and landed on the roof of the Temple. He looked up at the sky, and extended a paw towards it. An orb of darkness materialized in his palm, which he then fired rapidly into the air. The orb flew with a rapid pace, and then exploded into a storm so grandl that it could be seen by all who dwelled in Warfang. Among the many citizens who saw the spectacle, scores of dragons looked upon it, knowing exactly what to do. The explosion was a signal.

A multitude of dragons cast away the Shrouds of Darkness concealing their true forms. They were an army of Dark dragons. Immediately, they sprang into action, attacking and subduing as many Light dragons as they could find.

...

Among this army of Dark dragons were two of Bane's minions: The "Earth" and "Fire" dragons he had spoken with. When they say the signal in the air, they cast aside their Shrouds of Darkness as well, revealing their true forms: They were Grail and Rose, two of Bane's Deep Shadows.

Grail was a Fauna dragon: He had a silver hide and brown underbelly. His mane was Dark Red, and his horns were Brown in color. His single eye was Crimson Red.

Rose was a Sound dragoness. Her hide was Silver, like Grail's, but a significantly lighter shade. Her eyes and underbelly were Dark Blue, and her mane was brown, part of which fell over her left eye.

When the two Deep Shadows cast away their Shrouds, their brown robes changed as well. The material that the robes were composed of began transforming into Dark energy, and flowed all around the two dragons' bodies, covering almost every inch of their hides, save for their heads.

Grail and Rose were standing in the East and West sides of Warfang, respectively. Each of them was surrounded by a few dozen of the Dark dragon warriors that roamed the city.

As the citizens ran about in a panic, Grail ran forwards in front of the Dark dragons.

"KILL EVERY LAST LIGHT DRAGON WHO OPPOSES US!" He declared.

The Dark dragons charged, Grail at the lead, towards an oncoming squadron of soldiers. Rose did the same on the opposite side of the city.

...

Meanwhile, back at the Temple roof, Bane created another orb of Darkness and launched it into the air this time aimed forwards to the walls of Warfang.

As soon as the orb struck the inner side of a wall, a gigantic aura of Darkness spread across the city walls, moving faster almost than the eye could follow. The Darkness took the form of massive, Black flames, towering above the city streets and towers. Within mere moments, the entire inner rim was sealed by Darkness within moments, blocking all land-locked creatures from fleeing.

High above Warfang, a massive cluster of Black clouds appeared in the sky. The cluster grew larger and larger, until it encompassed almost the entire area of Warfang. And then, a massive, Black fortress began floating down from the clouds, seemingly coming from the heavens themselves. The fortress floated directly above the city, waiting there weightlessly. This fortress was none other than The Nexus, the second hub for all dark dragons.

Bane stood watch from the Temple roof as his legions combated the dragons of Light. He could hear countless sounds of sword meeting claw, magic exploding in and out of existance, battlecries of both sides, and screams of panic and agony. As this happened, more of the Black dragon's legions came flying out of The Nexus and hurtling down to the city streets, ready to engage in the battle.

Bane crafted a spell: He augmented the volume of his voice with his Sound Element to speak to the citizens of Warfang:

"People of Warfang, your Elders are dead. This city is now my property. Dragons of Light, surrender now, and you will die peacefully. Fight against us, and you will be slaughtered like cattle. To the Moles and Cats of Warfang, I say this; Our quarrel is with the Light dragons, not you. Return to your homes and lock your doors, and you will be spared. If you fight, you will be slain alongside the dragons of Light. If any seek to combat me directly, come. I await you on the Temple roof."

It was not long before a great number of Light dragons flew into the sky, intent on slaying Bane. He had expected that. He took to the skies and charged at the mob of enraged dragons.

Bane attacked the nearest dragons he saw with a mighty burst of Blood Lightning, sending them falling to the ground, twitching like maddrakes the whole way. As three dragons attempted to attack the Black dragon from behind, he summoned his sword and used his Wind element to spin like a top in midair, slicing the poor souls to pieces as they got too close before they could stop themselves.

As this happened, several more dragon attempted to strike Bane down with Lightning, Fire, and Ice breaths all at once. The Black dragon dodged out of the way with a swift dash of Wind, and then used the same tactic to charge at his enemies from the side. He then used his sword to slice the wings off the nearest dragon, stab the second dragon in the back multiple times, and decapitate the third dragon, all in the span of a few seconds.

During this time span, a group of half a dozen Light dragons surrounded Bane, all of them charging their magic. The Black dragon began doing the same thing: he filled his sword with a massive amount of Dark energy as he flew up to the sky to evade his opponnets. As they chased after him to unleash their attacks, the Black dragon's sword reached it's full capacity, and set itself ablaze with Black Flames

The Light dragons were so purplexed by this spectacle that they didn't react in time to evade the oncoming attack. Bane held his sword up at the dragons, and fired a Grand beam of Black energy at the nearest one. The dragon was instantly set ablaze, and the energy began eating through the victim's scales, burning the organs within. The dragon plummeted out the sky, dying before he even hit the ground.

As the first dragon fell, Bane flew about in the air, striking each and everyone of his opponents. One by one, burning corpses plummeted to the city below.

As Bane slew his enemies, he noticed that most of them were male. He figured as much. It was only customary for the male dragon to defend his home. Admirable. But alas, they were his enemies, and therefore must be killed.

...

The battle for Warfang raged on for two hours. Over time, the resistance against Bane's legions dwindled further and further, until eventually all hope was lost. The ancient city of Warfang now belonged to King Bane.

With the battle finally over, Bane celebrated his victory by wandering the city streets, watching his soldiers go about their many jobs to tidy up the city. Bane needed to make sure that all the damage was repaired. After all, he wanted to **control** Warfang, not destroy it.

As Bane wandered, he spotted a few of his soldiers trying to break down a magically reinforced door. Bane approached them, destroyed the door easily, and walked in, several Dark dragons right behind him, ready for a fight. Upon entering, Bane saw that it was only a lowly orphanage.

Many small dragon eggs, hatchlings, and cubs were being protected by a single Water dragoness nursemaid. She snarled furiously, ready to spring into attack to defend the young ones.

_An Orphanage_, Bane thought distastefully. _Of course. One cannot expect a Light dragon to look after its own children._

Bane just looked at the nursemaid, waiting for her to make her move. She attacked him with Lightning breath, but Bane struck the bolts with his right hand, absorbing it. He then unleashed his Pain breath upon her, causing here to twitch uncontrollably and hack up blood. Soon, she lay dead on the floor.

"What shall we do with the children, my lord?" One of the soldiers asked him.

Bane didn't answer. Instead, he glanced around, looking at the eggs and young dragons that lay before him. Many of the young dragons cried in fear of Bane, and the loss of their beloved caretaker.

Pity began to form in the Black dragon's chest.

Bane's eyes started to glow white and the Crystal around his neck glowed a bright Purple as he readied the spell he had in mind. He summoned a great mass of Black-and-Purple energy into the room, completely drowning the eggs, hatchlings and cubs in it for a few moments.

"My lord, what are you doing?" Another soldier asked.

"Behold."

Once his eyes returned to normal, the mass of darkness vanished. All of the eggs' outer shells had turned completely Dark Gry in color. The hides of the many hatchlings and cubs changed as well, becoming much darker. A feint, black aura surrounded most of the young dragons as well.

Bane had transformed the entire lot into Dark dragons. His soldiers looked on with astonishment.

"Unbelievable! How did you accomplish this?" One of them asked incredulously. Bane did not answer.

"Bring all the eggs here to the Temple." He ordered. "And make sure they are not damaged. As for the others, bring the to The Nexus."

The soldiers nodded in obedience and started to gather the eggs. Bane continued on his short odyssey, lending a hand to quell any pockets of resistance that still remained. He also tracked down several more orphanages, as well as multiple dragon egg hatcheries. He transformed every egg and young dragon that could be found.

As his tour of the city continued, the King became more and more disgusted. He had seen many of the suriving Light dragons abandon their comrades in an attempt to save themselves. Some would even force their allies out into the open as bait for the Dark dragons to save their own hides.

But the absolute worst case was when Bane spotted a Fire dragoness fleeing with her cub from several Dark dragon soldiers. The cub had accidentally tripped and fell onto her feet as her mother fled onwards.

"Mommy, help!" The cub pleaded.

There was plenty of time for the mother to retrieve her child. She could have turned back aroiund to rescue her daughter and then continued running, with only a small penalty of time being the trade-off.

But she didn't. The woman looked back at her child, to be sure, but turned away and kept fleeing, leaving the cub to her fate.

In all honesty, the cub was not going to be harmed. However, to abandon one's child in such a way was not something that Bane could forgive. Moments after the dragoness abandoned her cub, she lay dead on the ground, a Black sword running through her temple.

Moments after this, the Dark dragon soldiers had caught up with Bane, the young cub cowering between them. The girl was looking directly at her mother, crying a river of tears.

"Mommy, noooo!" She wailed. The cub looked up at Bane, eyes red from her tears. "Why did you do this to my mommy?"

The Black dragon sighed.

_She doesn't understand that she was left for dead._

"I cannot say that I regret this act." Bane said coldly to the cub. "However, I **do** regret that you had to witness it."

"Wh...What?" The girl asked, confused.

The Black dragon held a forepaw towards the cub.

"Do not be sad, child: Soon, you will forget that this woman even existed."

A wave of Black-and-Purple energy escaped from Bane's forepaw and overtook the cub, causing her to fall onto the ground. A moment later, the energy vanished, and the girl was locked in slumber, her hide changed from a bright Orange to a Dark Red.

"Take this girl to The Nexus." Bane commanded to the soldiers.

"Yes, sir."

And with that, the Black dragon turned and continued his tour.

...

When Bane could no longer stand to think of the Light dragons' depravity, he retired to the Temple.

As he arrived, the King found that the Temple had been cleared of any Light dragon scholars and guardians that were still alive within it. He walked up the Temple's outer steps and approached his three Deep Shadows, who had awaited his arrival. Nerona had removed her disguise as well.

Nerona was a Pain dragoness, and served as Bane's assistant alongside her Deep Shadow status. She had a Dark Grey hide and a Bronze underbelly. Her three horns were a Dark, almost Black color. Her eyes and mane were all a Deep Crimson color. Her curvature was now hidden away by her Dark Grey robes. She wore a set of silver bangles around her four ankles and a Bronze necklace around her neck: The common set of jewelry worn by dragons who hailed from Clan Aries.

"The Temple is yours, my lord." Nerona said, bowing to the Black dragon.

"We have taken the liberty of converting it into a castle for you to stay in." Rose added.

Bane nodded.

"The three of you have done well." He stated.

"What will you have done with the many bodies of fallen dragons that remain, your Highness?" Grail asked.

"If they are of our kind, make sure they get the proper burial they deserve. If they are of the _Light_ breed, burn them to ashes, and scatter them to the winds."

The three Deep Shadows just looked at their Master.

"Are you sure of this, your majesty?" Rose asked.

"Why wouldn't he be sure?" Grail snapped. "It is a fate befitting the Light bastards."

"You have my orders." Bane interjected. "Follow them."

"As you wish, Mi'lord." The silver dragoness responded.

"What shall you do now, your Highness?" Rose asked.

"I shall retire to the Temple's Library." Bane answered.

"Mi'lord?"

"There is something there I wish to investigate."

The King turned to walk into the Temple. "Nerona, follow after me. I will need your aid."

"As you command, sire." The Pain dragoness stated, walking forwards.

"Grail, Rose, do as I've commanded. My leave, I take."

"As you wish, your Highness." The other two Deep Shadows said in unision.

As Bane and Nerona walked into the temple, Grail and Rose turned around to walk in the other direction. They began speaking amongst themselves.

"Warfang now belongs to the Dark Dragon Monarchy." The Silver male declared with a grin. "Because of Bane, the Darkstalkers have finally faced their retribution!"

"Perhaps," Rose replied, "but our sire's plans have only just begun."

"That doesn't matter to the citizens." Grail stated. "They are no doubt estatic that we havean entire city to call home, not just a cramped Fortress."

"I suppose the adults, sure, but what of the children?"

Grail came to a stop.

"What about them?" He queried.

"Once they learn what Bane is planning for them, they may misunderstand his intentions and protest."

"Let them protest: It doesn't matter. Lord Bane's word is law, and all must obey the law, or suffer dearly."

"You would have children suffer, Grail?" Rose glared.

"Only if they are defiant. "

"I see..." Rose turned away from the Silver male. "We've dallied enough. Come: We must gather the dead, as our Sire has commanded."

With that said, the two Deep Shadows went about their way.

...

Bane and Nerona wandered into the Temple. Now that it belonged to the Black dragon King, the mood was different.

The Dark dragons that ventured through it were going through the work of renovating it. All statues of Light dragon Elders were smashed to pieces, and all portraits of Light dragons were torn from the walls. Various classrooms had been located, but work had yet to begin on them: young Dark dragons would not need to attend school until His plans had been finished.

As the King and Deep Shadow wandered, many of Bane's followers saluted him, and praised him for his victory over the city. He didn't bask in this praise: He merely told his followers to return to their work.

All in all, the air of rage that hung about him was all but gone.

"What do desire of me, Milord?" Nerona asked.

"I need you to aid me in the Library." The King answered.

Bane and Nerona walked through the Temple's halls until they found the Library, and stepped inside.

The Library was a large section of the temple, being both shorter and wider than the Temple's Main Chamber. It was composed of several floors, which were exposed so that a dragon could fly up to them, but also had a staircase, so that Nondragons could access them. Each of the floors had a large Label, naming it as the Fiction Section, History Section, and so on. The entire Left side of the Library opened up to the ceiling high above, thus making it seem like a single room.

Before Bane and Nerona set to work, the King quietly locked the library doors. He knew just what to look for in there.

Bane and his Deep Shadow spent the next couple of hours searching for any information theu could find on the Clan of Aries, the clan that wielded the element of Pain. Bane found a surprising amount of books on the subject. He had half-expected the Darkstalkers to burn them all out of spite. Or maybe they recorded the information to better know how to defeat Clan Aries. Whatever the truth was, Bane would never know now…

The King and his assistant grabbed as many books as he could carry and brought them to the small area in front of a fireplace on the far side of the Library.

"Shall I help you in your search through the books, Mi'lord?" Nerona asked.

"No, I can handle the rest on my own." The King stated. "You may take your leave."

"As you command, your Highenss."

As the Dark Grey dragoness headed for the exit, Bane took a moment to analyze the large Mural that sat above the fireplace: It was a massive portrait of an ancient Purple dragon, one who lived over five hundred years ago.

The Purple dragon had Golden, Lightning-bolt shaped horns that stood atop his head. He had Purple eyes, which glared down at the viewer. The dragon had no mane: instead, an array of gold spikes stood prominently on his back, and a mighty blade grew from his tailtip. Instead of four digits on each paw, the dragon only had three, even more proof that he was born before the New Age began.

The Purple dragon was clearly well within the later years of his life, but had a powerful, commanding air about him. The six symbols of the Six Light Clans were placed around the dragon, forming a semicircle: Sagittarious's Arrowhead, Pisces's Tear, Gemini's Cross, Virgo's Inverted Circle, Cancer's Crab, and Libra's Scales. In the background was an image of Warfang, back before it was as ancient as in modern times. A large temple stood half-built in the distance.

This Mural could've been of only one Purple dragon: Lord Spyro, the Grand Elder of the Light dragon race.

Bane took a moment to stare into the eyes of the Aged Purple Dragon.

"Ironic, isn't it." The Black dragon began. "Who would expect a Black dragon to one day conquer the very city that **you** once ruled over?"

Bane turned away from the Mural and began looking through the books.

"There has to be something here on the subject, somewhere." Bane said.

He decided to use his Memory element to scry the books. He was searching for a way to use the Clan Aries's signature ability: the ability to communicate with the dead.

Despite their primary ability being the manipulation of suffering and lack thereof, the dragons of Aries well versed in the occult, a series of traditions shared only with the dragons of Clan Pisces. They were able to sense when a spirit was wandering in the living world, could bind a dying being's spirit to a new vessel to enable an escape from death, and countless other mysterious practices. Their main home was Mount Erebus, the largest mountain in the mountains of Inferdus: They closest spot to the Underworld itself.

Some time ago, Nerona had informed Bane on the existance of the Aries clan's practice to speak with the dead, but it was a close-guarded secret among the ruling family of Clan Aries in olden times.

It was theorized that the way to use the ability was recorded in a book somewhere, but it's location was unknown. After searching the Library in Faeshrine and gaining nothing from the efforts, Warfang was the next spot to try.

After scrying book after book, Bane couldn't find anything on the subject, outside of mere mention that it exists in some form.

"How can this be? There should be a goldmine of information here!" Bane was getting agitated. Book after book, he found next to nothing.

Eventually, his frustration came to the breaking point.

"DAMNATION! How were they able to do it? I MUST DISCOVER THE WAY!"

The Black dragon angrily smacked a stack of books nearby onto the floor. By shear chance, one of the books he struck landed open to two of the pages about the image on the left page caught Bane's eye. He picked the book up and had a closer look.

The picture in question showed a normal dragon on the left speaking with a dragon wrapped in fog on the right.

"What is this?….." Bane lifted the book up and started reading.

"'Underworld communication'…Aha!" Bane shouted in triumph. "I've found it!" He read on. He learned the following:

_In order for a living dragon to speak with a deceased dragon, the living dragon must sacrifice a sample of the deceased dragon's blood, obtained through the deceased's immediate kin. The blood must be charged with dark energy and placed in a summoning circle. The blood will draw the deceased soul to the circle, allowing the living dragon to speak with the deceased. But know this: The amount of time you are able to speak with the dead depends on the amount of blood sacrificed._

"'A sample of the deceased dragon's blood, obtained through the deceased's kin'…." Bane repeated. He then lost his temper once again, and through to book to the side.

"CURSES! I finally find a way, and I learn that I require something I cannot obtain!" The Black dragon's eyes glowed White, and began charging his magic.

He was about to burn the books with his Fire, but suddenly realized something. He could use a small amount of Cyrus's blood.

"Of course, Cyrus. If only he hadn't run away." He stopped to think about Albanion, Wraith, and the others he sent to find Cyrus. "They must find him. The Night of Eternal Darkness is almost upon us, and I have much yet to do before it comes."

Bane then remembered what Albanion's ensemble had told him the night before: That Rune was alive.

"Could they have been correct? Is he truly still alive?….I wonder where he could be."

The Black dragon paced around the room for a minute.

"If I find Rune, maybe I can convince him to offer up a small part of his blood. Then I can finally relay my plans to her…." Bane stopped to grasp the Jade necklace he around his neck. It was the only thing he had left of Elenar. He sighed.

"…I promise you, my love." He said solemnly. "Soon, the dragons of Light will no longer exist."

Bane turned back to the Mural of Lord Spyro. Rage welled up in his veins once again.

"Do you hear me, Spyro?" He challenged. "Soon, your chosen people, an entire race of Hatemongers, will be wiped clean from the world. You had many a chance to prevent this ultimatum, yet you sat idly by and did nothing."

The King summoned his sword to his forepaw, which almost immediately began flowing with Black flames.

"You, the supposedly Greatest of Light dragons, have allowed your wife's people to suffer. It's only fitting that a Shadow, born with the blood of your Light, is the one to set things right."

Bane lifted himself into the air, aimed his sword at the mural, and impaled it, setting the painting ablaze. The Black dragon floated back to the floor, and watched as the mural was reduced to ashes, a scowl etched into his features.

"Wallow in your failure, Spyro."

And with that, Bane resumed his work, preparing for the coming eclipse.

Unbeknownst to the Black dragon, Nerona was quietly hiding behind the Library doors, peering inside to watch her master's actions. A scowl was etched into her features as she watched the Mural burn.

"So, this is what he plans to do with the ability to speak with the dead." She sneered to herself. "I should have guessed as much."

The Dark Grey dragoness turned and quietly walked away from the Library door, leaving it slightly ajar.

"I will need to do something about this."

...

The old man stood a good distance south of the city of Warfang, looking the city over from his spot on the Veros Outskirts.

High above the city stood The Nexus, which was nearly hidden from view by the darkness of the night. A great number of pillars of smoke were rising out from various sections of the city: signs that massive bonfires had been prepared, all for the purpose of burning away the bodies of fallen Light dragons. Off to the west of Warfang, more bodies were being carried out to be buried. These corpses belonged to the few Dark dragons who did not survive the assault on the city of Commerce.

The aged Purple dragon sighed in defeat.

"What kind of victory is this, Bane?" He asked solemnly. "Innocent dragons of both Darkness AND Light have lost their lives on this day. And all for nothing."

The old man watched the events around the city with a mournful face, wishing he could have done more.

A few moments later, someone spoke to him in his mind. An ancient voice: One that had beared witness to a great many years.

_You should have intervened further._

The Purple dragon looked up, surprised.

"Ignitus?" He asked.

_You should have done more to stop Bane from enacting the takeover of Warfang._

"I tried as best as I could, but I had to retreat when he began using violence."

_I do not wish to offend you, but would it not have been better to do the same?_

"You would have me strike Bane down in combat? I could never do such a thing!"

_Sometimes, we must do things that we find distasteful. I would have assumed you are familiar with this fact of life already._

The Purple dragon sighed.

_I suppose it's too late to be speaking of this matter now, anyway._

"Right..." The old man stated halfheartedly. "So, have you located Rune yet, Ignitus?"

_Sadly, no. However, the others have begun their search for the boy. They believe that if they find Him, then they'll find Rune._

"I suppose I'll head south to find the people who looked after Rune for the last five years, then."

_Aye._

The Purple dragon gathered his belongings and turned to head south.

"Have you managed to find _them_, at least?"

_They are still in the Fractured Hills, but they should arrive on the Nothern Continent by the time you reach its southern edge._

"Then I guess I had better get going..."

The old man turned to look at Warfang one last time.

"Forgive me, my people: I have failed you on this day. But I swear that I'll prevail before Bane makes his worst mistake of all."

And with that, the aged dragon turned to begin his journey south.

...

**And thus Act I of the story comes to a close.**

**The five groups have all stopped rest for the night. And during that night, Bane, the Dark dragon King, has taken over the city of Warfang.**

**Meanwhile, a few new characters have entered the game. What is the real identity of the old man? How does he relate to Rune and Bane? Who are the two strange dragons, and why do they want to stop the princes from resurrecting Elenar?**

**Find out in Act II of **_**The Legend of Rune: Rising Fears FINAL MIX.**_

**Please be sure to review my story. I need all the feedback I can get.**

**Tenebra ecce Veritas.**


	11. Interlude 1

Interlude

6 years ago…..

It was night in The Hive.

It was a gigantic city that floated high in the sky, hidden away by the ever-moving clouds. It had a vast number of buildings, and the edges were surrounded by a thick outer wall.

The Hive was the home of all Dark dragons, ruled over by the Black dragon Urobos. Ever since the Twilight War left the world unwelcoming of their kind, they fled to this one city, and vowed never to return to the land of the Light dragons.

Rune, Cyrus, and Elza were in the Throne room of the Hive's Grand Palace in the center of the city.

The throne room was the largest building in the palace. The floor was carpeted in a fine Red Linen. The walls were covered with portraits of various Kings of both the Clans Capricorn and Aries, who lived over the centuries. Several dozen torches illuminated the room, though it was still fairly dim in the darkness of the night.

The two Black dragons were young dragon cubs; their heads were still a tad too big for their chubby bodies. Their horns had just started growing longer. They couldn't completely fly yet; they could only glide short distances. And their baby fangs had started falling out; their adult fangs would soon grow in to replace them.

The two young cubs were both trying to climb onto the giant Golden-colored cushion that served as the King's Throne. They both liked to take turns sitting on it, pretending to be King of the Dark dragons. Elza sat on the floor a short distance away, watching everything they did.

When both of the cubs made it onto the cushion at the same time, Rune shouted in protest.

"Cywuuuuuus! It's my tuwn to be king!"

"No it isn't!" Cyrus snapped.

"It is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is TOO!"

"It is **NOT**, so thewe!" Cyrus stuck his tongue at Rune. The other Black cub, now angered, tried to blow Fire breath at Cyrus. But all that came out was a small puff of smoke. Cyrus laughed at this.

"Ha ha! You-can't-use-MAGIC-yet!" He taunted, half-singing.

"Oh yeah? Well _you_ can't use magic either!" Rune retaliated, pointing a tiny talon at his brother.

"Wanna bet?"

"Come now, boys." Elza stated. "There's no need to argue."

Cyrus didn't listen to what the Dark Green dragoness said, and instead blasted a burst of Wind at Rune's face. It wasn't much of an attack by most standards, but it was enough to knock Rune onto his rear. Cyrus stood over him, grinning smugly.

"See?"

Rune got up, growling. He pounced onto Cyrus, pinning him down. Even if Rune wasn't as good at magic as Cyrus was, he was better at physical fighting. The two princes wrestled around on the Cushion for a while.

"Alright, that's enough!" Elza shouted.

The Dragoness stood up, grabbed ahold of each of the boys with her forepaws, and forced them to separate. The cubs tried to wrench their way out of her grip, to no avail.

"Let go, Aunt Ewza!" Cyrus protested.

"You two shoudln't fight like this." Elza scolded.

"But Cyrus is being a jewk!" Rune declared. The dragoness glared at him.

"That's not a nice thing to say, Rune. You shouldn't say bad words like that."

The cub looked down at the floor in shame.

"Sowwy, Aunt Ewza."

"You should be apologizing to your brother, not me." Elza stated.

"But.."

"Ruuune!"

"Okay..." The young cub looked at his brother. "Sowwy."

"Like you mean it, Rune." Elza scolded.

Rune groaned.

"I'm sowwy I cawwed you a bad name, Cywus."

"That's much better." Elza looked over at the other cub. "Do you accept his apology, Cyrus?"

"Not reawwy." He declared. The dragoness cocked an eye at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Uh, I mean, Yes." Cyrus quickly added. Elza sighed.

"You two can be such brats sometimes."

The two twins frowned. The Green dragoness chuckled at this.

"Don't worry: You're Aunt Elza still loves you." She declared, hugging the two cubs.

"We wove you too, Auntie." They replied, hugging back.

When Urobos and Elenar had other matters to attend to, Elza would babysit the twins. She had looked after them with the same love and care as any mother would, so the two cubs came to see her as their aunt.

"What's going on in here?" An old voice asked from behind the trio.

The princes were surprised and excited to see their Grandfather, King Urobos, walk into the throne room, their Mother, Lady Elenar following close behind him. They immediately stopped hugging Elza and and sat up straight on the cushion, like two small kittens. Elza turned to greet them as well.

"Good Evening, your Highnesses." She said, bowing.

"Hello, Elza." Elenar replied, smiling.

Elenar was a Pain Dragoness. She had a Dark Grey hide, with a Silver underbelly. She had four silver horns: Two larger ones that curled backwards on the top of her head, and two smaller ones that were behind her jaw and curled downwards and forwards. She had a long black mane, and red eyes. Two Royal birthmarks of Clan Aries glowed red on both sides of her belly, between her forelegs and hindlegs: the image of two infinity symbols, one attached sideways to the center of the other. Rune and Cyrus had the same birthmarks in the same places. She had various golden rings on all four of her ankles. A Jade necklace hung around her neck.

"Were the boys Fighting over rulership of the kingdom again I?"

"Yes, sir." Elza stated. Urobos chuckled, while Elenar glared at the boys.

"You two should be getting ready for bed." She said sternly.

The cubs frowned in unison.

"Aw, but we wewe waiting fow Gwandpa, Momma!" Cyrus said.

"Yeah, we wanted him to teww us a stowy!" Rune added.

Elenar sighed, smiling. She looked at Urobos. "What do you say, Urobos?"

"Well, if that's what our royal highnesses want…"

Urobos walked forward, scooped his grandsons up in his great paws, and sat down with them on the Cushion. Elenar sat down on the floor to Urobos's right, while Elza sat down on the opposite side. Rune reached up with his paw to play with Urobos's beard.

"So, what story shall I tell tonight then?" Urobos asked the two cubs.

"Teww us the one about the two-headed Ape again." Rune said.

"No, teww us the one about the Fwying Mowes." Cyrus shouted.

Rune and Cyrus glared at each other. Urobos only chuckled at this, but Elenar was worried the two would start fighting again.

"How about hearing a story Grandpa hasn't told you yet?" Elenar suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea to me." Urobos said.

"…Okay…" the cubs mumbled.

Urobos thought for a moment.

"Hmmm, what story should I tell…..Oh! I know just the one!" He glanced down at the cubs. "Have you two heard the story of a dragoness known as The Great Shadow?"

"No," They answered in unison.

"Then I'll tell you the story of The Great Shadow, and how we came to be the ruling family of Clan Capricorn. In all honesty, it's actually more of a legend than a story, and is about two separate people."

"It is?" Rune asked.

"Why yes, it is. Depending on who you ask, though, it's either the legend of Cynder, or the legend of Spyro. Either way, the story begins over hundreds of years ago….

"A very long time ago, there was a Black dragoness named Cynder. Cynder's egg was laid around the same time as another dragon, a Purple one named Spyro, but more on him later. When she was still and egg, she was kidnapped by an evil Dragon named Malefor. Afterwards, Malefor used the power of Darkness to transform Cynder from a small hatchling into a great, big grown-up dragon. The biggest the world had _ever_ seen!"

"Even biggew than you, Gwandpa?" Cyrus asked. Urobos laughed.

"Yes, even bigger than me. Now, after being transformed, Malefor took control of poor Cynder's mind, making her become evil, and care about nothing except gathering dark crystals to revive her master. For a long time, she led a war against the Dragon race, ending the lives of many dragons. She also managed to capture three of the four Dragon Guardians of the time."

"Just the Guawdy-ans?" Rune asked. "What about the Dragon Ewdews?"

"Back then, the Elders and Guardians were pretty much the same thing, you see?"

"That's weiwd." Cyrus said. Urobos continued.

"Ignitus, the Guardian dragon of Fire who got away, went into hiding for a few years, until he met Spyro, who had just recently learned he was a dragon. After the Dragon Temple was freed, Spyro went on to free the other guardians: Volteer, Cyril and Terrador. But he was too late to stop Cynder from draining their Elemental power into dark crystals. Cynder also captured Ignitus and drained his power as well, but Spyro came to the rescue and freed him.

"After that, Spyro followed Cynder into an alternate realm called Convexity. Where he battled and defeated her. After this, Malefor's control over Cynder vanished, and she turned back into a normal young dragon."

"She became a good guy again?" Cyrus asked.

"Uh-huh. After this, Spyro and Cynder returned to their world. However, Cynder had broken the hold on Malefor's essence just before Spyro defeated her. After returning home, Cynder started feeling guilty about the bad things she had done, so she ran away from the temple. She journeyed around the world for a while, running into Spyro once again at one point, before she was captured by Gaul, the Ape king."

"I don't wike apes", Rune grimaced. "They smeww bad."

"True, true", Urobos said, grinning. "Anyway, Gaul held poor Cynder prisoner in the Mountain of Malefor, also known as the Well of Souls. Spyro came to save her, of course. Spyro fought Gaul, but almost failed. However, an accident happened, and Spyro became filled with Malefor's evil power. He used it to defeat Gaul. Unfortunately, the mountain started to collapse over Cynder and Spyro. To save their lives, Spyro used Dragon Time to encase himself and Cynder in a protective crystal, saving their lives. But it also trapped them there, for three years. During that time, Malefor was free to take over the world."

"Poow Spywo and Cyndew", Cyrus said, frowning.

"Don't worry, it gets better. After the three years ended, Cynder and Spyro were freed from their Crystal prison. They traveled around, saving people they met from Malefor's forces. Unfortunately, A lot of people still disliked Cynder for the evil deeds she committed while under Malefor's control."

"That's not faiw", Rune glared.

"I know. But even though a lot of people didn't trust Cynder, she still went out of her way to protect people from Malefor's monsters, because that's the right thing to do. Eventually, Cynder and Spyro fought Malefor and defeated him, sealing him away in the core of the world. The two dragons then used their Magic to save the world from complete destruction."

"Is that the end, Gwandpa?" Cyrus asked.

"Of course not! In fact, I have yet to begin the **good** part! As the world was saved, Cynder and Spyro had managed to bring to life hundreds of dragons that were slain by Malefor's forces, saving the species from extinction. All of the dragons had control over one element of magic. Some had elements that already existed, while other had powers that were never seen before. In all, there were a total of twelve elements.

"Anyway, the dragons praised Cynder and Spyro as heroes. After that, the two dragons became boyfriend and girlfriend, and got married a few years later.

"That's gwoss!" Rune said, sticking his tongue out. Urobos only chuckled again.

"As time went on, Cynder began to notice that the Dragons of the world were unorganized, constantly fighting over territory. So, she gathered all of the dragons and had them organize, forming twelve dragon clans, one for each element. Six clans were geared towards Light energy:

Sagittarius, of Fire,

Pisces, of Water,

Gemini, of Electricity,

Virgo, of Earth,

Cancer, of Memory,

And Libra, of Time.

The other six clans were geared towards Dark energy:

Scorpio, of Flora,

Taurus, of Fauna,

Aquarius, of Wind,

Leo, of Sound,

Aries, of Pain,

And Capricorn, of Space.

Each of the twelve clans was given a part of the world as their own territory, and each clan had a family of dragons selected for them to be the rulers of that clan. The Light clans praised the purple dragon Spyro as their great hero, forgetting Cynder and all that she did for them. But the Dark clans were more respectful: They bowed before Cynder, giving her the title 'The Great Shadow' and swearing absolute loyalty to her. She was worshipped and praised all across the Dragon Realms. Even after her eventual death, the Dark dragons of the world continued to pay tribute to her, prayed to her in times of crises, and blessed her name in times of good fortune. Those traditions continue to this very day.

"The story does not end there,though. As time passed, Cynder and Spyro eventually had children, one of which was a son named Nexius. Nexius was a most peculiar dragon: His hide was Black, like his mother, but he could wield multiple elements instead of one, like his father. And not just several, but all twelve of the elements of the New Age. So, his parents decided to have him travel allover the world, going to the temples of each Clan of dragon to learn how to properly master it. As Nexius traveled, he found that the Element of Space was his most useful, allowing him to bend the law of gravity, teleport across great distances, summon items to his side, and other things. When he reached adulthood, he returned to the Floating Plains, the land ruled by Clan Capricorn, and decided to live there. He soon discovered that the princess of Clan Capricorn needed to find a mate to stay in rulership. So, seeing the opportunity, Nexius offered his paw in marriage. Since he was the son of The Great Shadow, not a single dragon objected, and Nexius became the King of Clan Capricorn.

"There must have been strange magic at work in Nexius's blood. His first child was born a male black dragon. When Nexius's son grew up to be the next king, _his_ first child was a male black dragon as well. And so was _that_ dragon's son, and the son that came after _him_. One after another, the Kings of Clan Capricorn were all black dragons, each one able to wield all twelve elements. One theory behind this phenomenon is that, since Nexius had the DNA of a legendary purple dragon, the ability to wield all elements was passed on to him, and never faded from the family bloodline. But that theory is challenged by the fact that Nexius could wield elements that his father could not, since Spyro was born long before those elements existed.

"But whatever the reason behind it, every King of Clan Capricorn has been a black dragon, descended from The Great Shadow, and able to wield all twelve of the elements. That tradition has continued right into modern times, right down to you two. The End."

"Wewe thewe evew any mowe puwpwe dwagons?" Rune asked.

"Well, yes and no. Originally, a purple dragon was born only once every ten generations, which is roughly a hundred years. But when Cynder and Spyro altered the magic of the world, the rules seemed to change as well. Over the centuries, more and more purple dragons started to be born with increasing frequency. But instead of wielding all twelve elements, most purple dragons could only wield up to . Furthermore, the power of these dragons was significantly weaker, only about on par with that of normal Light dragons. Though the biggest change is the fact that purple dragons born after the New Age started are unable to wield the legendary energy known as Convexity. So, being a purple dragon wasn't a big deal anymore, although they _are_ still somewhat uncommon among modern dragons."

Elenar got up onto her feet and stretched a little.

"Alright, boys, it's getting late. You've had your story. It's time to go to bed."

"But we'we not even tiwed, Momma." Rune complained.

Despite how much they tried to hide it, Elenar could see how drowsy her sons were.

"Listen to your Mother, boys." Elza stated, standing up as well.

The Dark Grey dragoness picked Rune up by the gruff of his neck with her teeth and carried him off the cubs' room. Elza stood up and did the same with Cyrus did the same with Cyrus. As the dragonesses left the throne room, Urobos followed close behind.

Cyrus and Rune's room was a glamorous one. The floor had a finely crafted carpet. The walls were lined with portraits of past Kings and Queens; their ancestors. There was a fully stocked bookshelf and a desk on the west wall. There were two glass doors on the far side of the room, that opened up to a large balcony. There were two large circular cushions on either side of the room. They were the color of silver, and had intricate patterns sewn onto them.

Elenar set Rune down on the Cushion on the east side of the room, while Elza set Cyrus down on the other one.

"I'm not tiwed yet, Momma." Cyrus protested.

"Try to fall asleep anyway, Cyrus." Elenar said.

"How come we have to go to sweep?" Rune asked.

"Because little dragons aren't able to stay awake at night, Rune." Elza answered.

"Aww."

"Goodnight, you two." Urobos said, turning around to leave the room.

"Goodnight, Gwandpa." The two cubs said back.

The King dimmed the lights on his way out, while Rune and Cyrus stretched a little, getting comfortable. Elenar and Elza turned to leave as well.

"Goodnight, Aunt Ewza", the twins said to her.

"Goodnight, boys." She replied, leaving.

Elenar was the last adult to leave the twins' chamber.

"Goodnight, Momma." Her children said to her.

Standing at the doorway, the Dark Grey dragoness looked back, smiling.

"Sleep well, my darlings."

Elenar closed the door behind her as the cubs drifted into slumber.

...

The King, his Deep Shadow, and his Daughter-in-law walked down the halls of Hive Palace. They were saluted by various dragons dressed in Silver Armor that they crossed paths with.

"What am I going to do with those boys?" Elenar asked Urobos.

"What do you mean, Elly?" Elza asked

"They're always fighting each other."

"Siblings always get into arguments when they're young." Urobos stated. "I used to fight with _my_ brothers all the time."

"But what if they grow to hate each other? When the time comes for one of them to take the throne, who knows what conflict could arise?"

"You're taking things way to seriously, Elenar." Elza scolded. "Rune and Cyrus are brothers. They may get into arguements from time to time, but it's never anything to worry about. They'll never hate each other."

"Elza's right." Urobos added. "And as much as it matters, I'm pretty sure deciding who the next king will be shall not be a problem. Over the centuries, Black dragons have been raised to have great honor and respect for dragon law, and have had to earn the right to wield Magical and Political power through great deeds. If Rune and Cyrus are raised the same way, as I'm sure they will, once the next king is chosen, the other brother will accept the circumstance, and have no bitterness."

"Perhaps you're right." Elenar said. "I just hate to see them squabble so much."

"Well," The Dark Green dragoness replied, "perhaps if there were more dragon cubs around here for them to play with..."

Urobos sighed.

"Please don't bring up that matter again." He stated. "I respect and trust both you and Albanion completely, but .."

"That's not what I mean, your highness." Elza stated. I'm instead referring to-"

The Deep Shadow was cut off by shouting.

"King Urobos! Lady Elenar!"

Two large, Aged dragons were fast approaching from the opposite side of the hallway, followed by four soldiers. The aged dragons were Argos and Icarox, two of The Hive's Elders, and a pair of twins who devoted their entire lives to The Great Shadow.

The two Elders looked remarkably alike in many ways. Being twins, they were both roughly in their late sixties, a few years older than Urobos. Their hides were Dark Red, and their underbellies were light grey. Their manes were bronze, which were neatly trimmed. Their sixhorns were shaped like lightning bolts atop their heads, and they wore matching Black cloaks around their bodies, with silver sashes.

There were some differences, of course. Argos was a male, while Icarox was a female. Argos's eyes were a Dark Green, while Icarox's eyes were Electric blue. Argos wore a Golden bangle around his neck, while Icarox wore silver rings around her ankles. Lastly, some of Argos's horns were a blander color, while Icarox's were more vibrant.

"Greetings, you two." Urobos declared once the Elders were close by.

"What's the urgency?" Elenar asked.

"We bring good news, your Majesties." Argos stated, smiling.

"We have just received word via telepathy." Icarox added.

"Word of what?" Elza asked.

"Prince Bane's entourage is returning." The twins said in unison.

Elenar and Elza's eyes lit up.

"When will they get here?" Elenar demanded.

"Within the hour, Milady."

"Well, let's go wait for them outside, then!" Elza declared.

The Dark Grey dragoness wasted no time heading for the exit from the Palace. Urobos sighed.

"We might as well follow suit."

...

Bane flew out of a gathering of clouds and fast approached The Hive, followed by a small army of dark dragons.

Every one of them, Bane included, wore a brown robe. Most of the dragons were working together to carry large wooden carriages. The carriages were filled with the supplies that were gathered and bought from other cities. They were all still wearing their disguises; they appeared to be a great gathering of Light dragon nomads.

Bane came to a landing and immediately removed his shroud of darkness, revealing his form as a Black dragon. He undid the ponytail that he had tied his mane into, turned around to look back at the spoils of his trip, and smiled confidently.

The Dark dragons set to work carefully placing the Carriages upon The Hive's artificial ground, and proceeded to unload them of their storage. The Carriages contained foodstuffs, wool, cotton, coins of various metals, and even a few livestock, like cows and sheep. There was enough to keep almost an entire city's worth of people well-supplied, but not indefinitely. Many more trips would be needed in the future.

Bane was not King yet. He was only 29 years old; once he turned thirty, Urobos would pass the Monarchy down to him. But for now, he was still a Prince, and one of Urobos's Deep Shadows. Bane's mane was kept neat and tame. He had only a small stubble of hair on his chin. He wasn't as burly as his father was: that would come in time.

After having enough of observing the spoils of his trip, he tunred back around and walked forward towards the Palace. A dark grey dragon followed close behind.

"Another successful trip to the Light Dragon realms", Albanion said, grinning smugly. "I daresay the Light dragons will _never_ catch on!"

"You judge their kind too harshly, Albanion", Bane responded. "They aren't stupid."

"Be _we_ are even **less** stupid!" Albanion declared proudly. "The shroud of Darkness you invented has been a great boon to us all, Bane! We can walk among the Light dragons, and they never notice the difference! You're practically a savior!"

"It _is_ a brilliant spell, I suppose." Bane responded, shrugging.

He wasn't in the mood to receive more praise. True, It was Bane who discovered a way to bend Dark energy around a dragon's body, disguising them as a Light dragon. The spell enabled Dark dragons to wander into Light dragon territory. The spell's invention led to the frequent trips taken by Bane and a group of Dark dragons to the Light dragon realms to gather whatever supplies were badly needed and lacking in The Hive. The people of The Hive treated him like a hero. It was said that even The Great Shadow herself smiled upon him from her domain in the Underworld.

But right now, none of that mattered. Bane only wanted to see his wife.

On the way to the Palace, Bane and Albanion were met by Urobos, Elenar, Elza, the Elders Argos and Icarox, and a small group of soldiers. Bane and Albanion bowed to the King once they were within speaking range.

"Greetings, my Lord", Bane said formally.

"I take it you have returned successfully once again." Urobos queried.

"Yes, my Lord."

"What did you manage to purchase?"

"Everything that was asked of me, and some extra goods, in case we ran out too early."

Urobos smiled.

"You've done well, ma'boy." He said happily. "You've done us **all** well."

Bane bowed again.

"Thank you, Father."

Urobos looked over at Albanion. "Albanion!"

"Yes, your majesty?"

"Take charge here. Make sure that all the supplies are sent to their proper places for storage."

"Yes, your highness!" Albanion saluted.

"Is it alright if I lend him my aid, your Magesty?" Elza asked.

"Do as you wish, Elza."

"Thank you, sire."

Albanion smiled as the Dark Green dragoness joined him by his side.

"Did you miss me, Elza?"

"Every day you were gone." She replied. The male Deep Shadow chuckled, then glanced over at the Black dragon Prince.

"We'll see you later, Bane."

Bane nodded to his friends as Albanion and Elza turned around to return to the entourage. The Prince then returned his gaze to his father.

"Is there anything I'm still needed for, father?"

"Actually, there is." Urobos answered. "I need you to come with me and-"

"Excuse me, your Highness," Icarox interrupted, "but there is something you are needed for urgently."

"And what would that be?" Urobos queried, slightly annoyed by the interruption.

The Elder leaned down and whispered into the King's earhole. Urobos's expression changed to one of concern when she finished speaking.

"Oh dear."

"What is it, father?" Bane asked, equally concerned.

"Go do as you please for now, Bane" Urobos answered. "It seems that I have another, more urgent matter to attend to."

The King turned around and returned to the Palace, his Elders and the group of soldiers following right behind him. Bane looked over to Elenar, who now approached him.

"You have returned alive, again." She said with a cold and formal tone.

"Of course", Bane responded, with the same tone.

This formality was only a ruse.

Elenar's seriousness quickly melted away as she ran forwards and held Bane in a loving embrace. Bane hugged her back, smiling.

"I missed you." Elenar said, crying slightly.

"I missed you as well." The Black dragon replied, licking the side of his mate's cheek. "But I'm home once again."

Elenar let go of Bane, turned around and walked to her right, seemingly about to head down a side street. The Black dragon watched as she spread her wings, preparing for flight. After walking a short distance, the Dark Grey dragoness glanced back at Bane

"Bane, follow me." She said sweetly. He smiled, walking forwards and preparing for flight.

...

The two dragons flew high into the air, high above The Hive. Elenar flew in zigzags, arches, somersaults, and other complex aerial patterns. Bane chased after her, flying in all the same patterns. This was the game they played with each other whenever Bane returned from a trek into the world.

Eventually, Bane managed to catch up to Elenar. He wrapped his legs around her, and the two would freefall out of the sky, hurtling towards The Hive. But moments later, Bane would use his Space Element to slow their descent, eventually stopping them in midair, high above the city. He would then lie flat on his back, using his strength and magic to support Elenar and keeping her from falling off of him.

The two dragons looked into each other's eyes.

"I always get so worried about you." Elenar said, tears welling in her eyes.

"There's nothing to worry about, Elenar." Bane said, smiling. "Even if the Shroud of Darkness should fail me, I'm still far more powerful than some pathetic Light dragons."

"Don't get overconfident, Bane." His mate scolded. "You'll send lady luck running with talk like that."

"Ha! I don't need luck." He smirked. Elenar shook her head.

"Don't you know the saying, 'The higher the pedestal, the harder the fall?'"

Bane glanced down at the city below them.

"Well, I know that if I drop you right now, _that_ would be a hard fall." He said, grinning deviously.

"Don't you dare!" Elenar exclaimed. Bane laughed.

"I'm only joking, Elenar." He held her tighter. "You'll always be safe in my grip."

The dragoness sighed.

"I wish you didn't have to leave all the time. The boys need their father, and I need my husband."

"I wish that too', Bane reassured. "But I can't. I have to keep making these trips into Light Dragon territory to gather the supplies that the citizens of The Hive need."

"Couldn't Urobos send someone in your stead?"

"This is _my_ job, Elenar. I'm the only one who can command the dragons that go in the entourage."

"Even when you become king?" Bane thought about that for a moment.

"Well, I suppose once I am crowned King of the dark dragons, I can send Grail, or Albanino, or even Wraith to go instead of me."

"And you can stay in The Hive and help me raise our children?"

"Of course. I'll always be willing to help raise your children. _All_ of them."

Elenar frowned, and was silent for a short time. The Black dragon frowned as well.

"What's wrong, love?"

"Won't you ever let it go, Bane?" She finally asked.

"No, and I never will. You're too trusting for your own good, Elenar. That's what enabled that _bastard_ to take advantage of you. You shouldn't have left him with the custody of-"

"What's done is done, Bane. You may not trust him, but he's our only ally among our enemies. Now can we please talk about other matters?"

The Black dragon sighed.

"As you wish. As I was saying, once I have become King, I'll stay in The Hive, to protect the city, the people, our children, and most important of all, you."

"Do you promise that, Bane?"

He looked Elenar directly in the eyes.

"You have my word. I _will_ protect you."

"Then here." Elenar said. She took her jade necklace off of her neck, and placed it around Bane's neck.

"You're giving me your neckalce?" He asked. "Whatever for?"

Elenar smiled.

"Wear that necklace. When you're out in the world, clutch it, and remember the promise you've made here."

Bane nodded, smiling back at her.

"As you wish."

They kissed each other, and Bane put himself inside Elenar. For the longest time, they floated there, giving each other great pleasure. They never said a word, for there were none that needed to be said. The world that sat below them seemed to vanish from the universe. To each one, the only thing that existed was the other. No, they had become a single entity.

Bane would never forget this night. He would never forget the promise he made. A promise that he failed to keep.


	12. Act 2, Chapter 1

Act 2, Chapter 1

Three days have now passed since they left to find Rune and his kidnappers. Blank, Nellie and Emerald had been traveling across the Central Ocean as fast as they could.

After spending the night on that first island, the trio decided that it would be a good idea to travel from island to island instead of heading directly north to the Northern Continent. When they needed to eat something, Nellie would use her Water magic to find schools of fish for the young dragons to eat.

Along the way, Blank had half-expected to be attacked by more swarms of those Black monsters. Much to his surprise and the girls' relief, there didn't seem to be any of them anywhere. However, there was something **else** happening that the trio didn't expect either.

For the last two days, a great number of boats were traveling south from the Northern continent, all of them containing Mole and Cat passengers. They were heading right past the settlements on the islands, not even stopping for a quick restocking at any of the piers. Blank wanted to find out what was going on, but ended up continuing onwards to the North at the girls' behest.

Today, the three young dragons finally reached the other side of the ocean. They had reached a great expanse of land known as the Veros Outskirts. About a hundred miles away was the Great city of Warfang. The Valley of Avalar lied to the West, and the Tarune Forest was far to the East. Blank didn't know if the kidnappers had stopped in Warfang, but it seemed like the most logical place to look.

The three young dragons came to a stop on the beach to rest for a while.

"How long do you think it'll take us to get to Warfang?" Orange dragon asked Emerald.

"I'm not sure." She replied. "Let me check for a minute.."

She pulled out her map and looked it over for a moment.

"Okay, based on our location, which is right about here..." The Green dragoness placed a talon on a small spot on the edge of the continent. "...We should be able to reach it by tomorrow morning. If we hurry, that is."

Blank frowned.

"Let's hope those dark dragons have stopped in Warfang, and that they're planning on spending quite a while there before leaving again."

Emerald sat back down on the ground and stretched her neck.

"We've been flying for days, guys. Let's take a break for a while."

"Good Idea." Blank agreed, doing the same.

During this time, Nellie had been laying on the sand, trying to catch her breath. Shen she heard the others talking about taking a break, she got up onto her feet, an annoyed expression on her face.

"We can't keep wasting time." She scolded, walking past the other two an spreading her wings for flight. "Instead of standing around hoping, let's get going."

"But we just landed, Nellie." Emerald replied. "Shouldn't we at least-?"

"WE'RE GOING. NOW!" The Blue dragoness exclaimed, causing the others to jump in surprise.

Nellie had gotten more determined to rescue Rune in the past few days. It was getting to be that Rune was the only thing that she ever talked about.

Deciding it wouldn't be a good idea to argue, Blank and Emerald got up and started flying after her, groaning the whole way.

Blank had a good look at the world around him. For miles around him, he saw nothing but a great empty plain. Far away in the distance, he could barely see fuzzy shadows on the horizon. That must've been the city.

_This is going to be a long day,_ he thought to himself, grimacing.

As the three children flew to the north, another group of three was flying northwest to Warfang at that very moment.

...

Albanion, Elza and Aegis had left Aeroshard and traveled to the north.

When the three Deep Shadows investigated the city of Power for any sign of Prince Cyrus, they sought to speak with the Earth dragon who was currently in charge of the city. They found that he and his family had already left for the Northern continent a few days prior, thuse rendering their search fruitless, just as it had been in the previous places they looked. With no other reason to stay, the trio headed North, to begin their travels to the Mountians of Inferdus.

The three dragons had to make detours on their way to the north. Flying right through Light dragon territory again would have been dangerous. So, they had to fly Northeast in order to pass between the stretch of land between the Fractured Hills and the Mountians of Kilon to reach the Central Ocean. Next, they had to travel Northwest to get back on the right path. It was a massive delay, which enraged Albanion.

In that time, anything could have happened. As far as he knew, Prince Cyrus could have reached the Pit of the Fallen by now. Or worse: He could have been found by Darkstalkers and brutally murdered.

The Deep Shadows had spent the past few days traveling over the Central Ocean. In that time, Elza had started to worry more about Prince Rune's well-being. This had both amused and irritated Albanion.

Albanion knew that Elza used to be one of Queen Elenar's closest friends for most of their lives. After Elenar became Bane's mate and the two clans became one, Elza was offered a position as one of Bane's personal Warriors; a group known as the Deep Shadows. The Deep shadows were a group of Dark dragons who had superior magical ability than most other dragons. Elza became one of the princes' personal tutors; the other one being a younger member of the Deep Shadows named Wraith.

Shortly after the Dark Green dragoness became a Deep Shadow, Albanion had become smitten with her, and she was the same way. Unfortunately, this was problematic: It was strictly forbidden for members of the Deep Shadows to have courtships with other members. Albanion and Elza had tried to plead to King Urobos to change this, but the old dragon was hard-pressed to alter an ancient tradition. When Bane took the Monarchy, he was even _more_ reluctnant. As a result, Albanion and Elza had to keep theirs love for each other in the background, letting their work take priority.

When the attack on The Hive came to an end, Elza was the first one to search for Elenar, Urobos, and prince Rune. For the longest time after Elenar's death and Rune's disappearance, Elza came to accept them being dead.

_Perhaps now, she wants to go back to find Rune out of Loyalty to her friend_, Albanion thought to himself.

The three Deep Shadows came to a stop on a beach. The Dark Grey dragon removed his hood to stretch his neck. No matter how many times he used the Shroud of Darkness to disguise himself, it was always an odd sensation to feel his horns and his hood occupying the same point in space.

"What do you think we'll find once we get to Warfang?" Albanion asked his comrades.

Elza was lying on the ground, yawning, while Aegis was a short while away, stretching his thick back like a large cat.

"It all depends on whether Bane felt prepared enough to enact his plan." The Dark Brown dragon answered. "He has been preparing the people of The Nexus for his invasion for some time now."

Elza repositioned herself on the sand. The magic fibers of her robe prevented the sand from sticking.

"Do you think Lord Bane has alerted Wraith and Lilith?" She queried.

"Alerted them to what?" Aegis asked.

"That Prince Cyrus is heading for the Pit of the Fallen."

The burly dragon ran a paw through his goatee.

"Hmm, that is a good question."

"Perhaps we should contact them and find out." Albanion suggested. "Just to be sure."

The others nodded in agreement. Aegis prepared the spell that was used to contact other Deep Shadows across the world…..

...

Cyrus, Wraith, Lilith and Tina had made their way deep into the Valley of Avalar. They had made it to one of the Cheetah villages. Wraith, Lilith and Tina had applied the same magical disguises that Cyrus wore. Wraith and Lilith made their disguises simple: they elected to make the tone of their hides much lighter, along with their manes and horn colors. Tina's disguise was more elaborate; she turned her hide the same shade as her mother's. She also turned her mane and eyes pink, and her horns blue. When Tina showed her mother the gift Cyrus gave her the other day, Lilith took the liberty of altering it a bit so that Tina could wear the Rose in her mane.

Ever since that last night in the Raunn Jungle, Lilith had stopped talking to the Prince. She didn't appreciate the way that the young Black dragon felt about his father, nor did she like how he spoke that night. She was still debating in her head whether she should just bring Cyrus back home immediately as punishment. Wraith, however, wasn't aware of what was going on.

The four dragons were currently staying in one of the larger wooden huts the cheetahs had to offer. Once all of their stuff was put in the hut, Wraith and Lilith took the two young dragons to a secluded cave that was just outside the village.

The cave was deep into the side of, and at the very base of, a large mountain to the north of the village. The calls of the cave were lined with various chunks of Green and Red Gems. Deeper into the cave was a large, open chamber, which was large enough for several adult dragons to do combat.

Whatever the cave was there for in the past, Cyrus didn't know. Nowadays, however, the cave was left open for beings to explore at their leisure. Since it was available, Wraith and Lilith decided to use it to train Cyrus and Tina's magicial abilities.

Tina was given the simple task of using her Memory Element to control the weak minds of some nearby mice and command them to scurry about in specific patterns, like spelling out her name, or having them march about in circles.

Cyrus's task was much more difficult; Lilith was going to fire a barrage of Electric attacks at the Black dragon. Wraith told him to use his Time Element to slow time so that he could get up to Lilith and swipe away a gold bracelet she had put on her front left paw. Cyrus's Dragon Time only lasted about a moment, and he would always have to wait a short while to use it again.

Despite this difficulty, Cyrus handled his task with little moderate success. He studied the pattern that the adult Yellow dagoness attacked with, and planned his moves accordingly. He saw slight openings in her attack pattern that became great windows of opportunity while in Dragon Time. He jumped, dodged, and froze time at the right moments for the right amount of time. He managed to get up to Lilith and steal the bracelet in Dragon Time within the span of a couple of minutes.

Wraith clapped his forepaws at Cyrus's success.

"Good work. Next time, It'll be even _more_ difficult", he said, smirking.

Cyrus sat on the ground, panting. He didn't want to admit it, but it was a little harder than he let on. Cyrus almost got electrocuted more than once during the exercise. But he was too proud of himself to say that he ran into trouble.

When Lilith approached Cyrus, he handed her the bracelet back.

"Uh, here you go, Lilith."

The Yellow dragoness accepted the bracelet, but then turned to walk away from Cyrus. The Black dragon frowned at this.

"Sorry..."

Wraith witnessed the spectacle, and was quite confused by it.

"Uh, is there something wrong, Lilith?" He asked.

"She doesn't want to talk to Cyrus." Tina answered, walking up to the Crimson dragon.

"Why not? Did he do something stupid when I wasn't looking again?"

Lilith turned and looked at Wraith, disapproval in her eyes.

"I've grown tired of the prince's disrespect towards is father." She stated blankly. "I've tried reasoning with him, but he won't listen to a word I say. So, I won't say anything to him."

"Oh..." Wraith ran a forepaw through his mane. "Listen, Lilith, I don't claim to be an authority on Bane's relationship with the prince, but what you need to know about that is-"

Suddenly, the Dark Red dragon gasped, like he realized something horrible. He started shaking and grunting.

"What is it, Wraith?" Lilith asked, concerned. Wraith grabbed Cyrus and started shoving him towards a secluded corner in the cave.

"HEY!" The Prince complained, trying to fight against the adult dragon's pushing to no avail. "What're you DOING?"

"No time for banter!" Wraith shouted. "HIDE!"

Once Wraith had shoved Cyrus into a large gap in the wall, he created a wall of shadows around the gap. He then turned the shadows the same color as the cave wall, hiding the Black dragon from view. Cyrus pounded on the other side of the shadows, trying to break throug it..

"Wraith, let me out!" He demanded.

"Shut up, you'll blow your cover!" Wraith exclaimed.

"What are you going on about, Wraith?" Lilith asked.

Tina wandered over, confused as well. Instead of answering, Wraith ran over to the mouth of the cave. When he could restrain the magic no longer, Wraith allowed it to escape. A great amount of Dark Energy emanated from Wraith's torso. The mass of energy reformed inself in midair, becoming a black "window", floating in space before the dragon. Upon seeing it, Lilith understood.

Someone was tying to contact them.

The window was what showed them who was making the connection. The energy came from Wraith because, since he was a Space dragon, he would require the least amount of magic to finish the connection.

Wraith and Lilith stood in front of the energy window. After a moment, the image of an adult Red dragon in a Dark Grey hood appeared.

"Who goes there?" Lilith demanded in a serious tone. The strange dragon pulled back his hood. It was their comrade, Albanion. He was in disguise.

"Albanion?" Wraith asked. "Uh, hi. What's up?"

Albanion gave the Crimson dragon a cold look.

"Unprofessional as always." he scolded. The Red dragon looked at Lilith. "Lilith, has Lord Bane contacted you recently?"

"No, he hasn't. Not for the last two weeks." She answered. "Why?"

"Elza, Aegis and I have discovered important information: There is a high possibility that prince Cyrus is traveling to the Pit of the Fallen in the Mountains of Inferdus, with the goal of reviving Queen Elenar."

Wraith got a little nervous. Obviously he and Lilith already knew that. They were helping him to do it, even. But they had kept it secret. None of them planned on other members of the Deep Shadows getting the idea that Cyrus was traveling to the Pit. If the other members of the Deep Shadows found out what Wraith and Lilith were up to, they could be branded as traitors and executed!

The Dark Red dragon shook the unpleasant thoughts away and spoke to Albanion.

"Do you want me and Lilith to travel to the Pit of the Fallen to try and find him?"

"That may be unwise. Bane gave permission only to the three of us to travel there."

"Oh." Lilith said. There was an awkward silence for a short time.

"…You two should get there as soon as possible." The Red dragon stated.

"Huh?" Wraith asked, confused.

"Just go. That is all on this matter. There is another matter that must be dealt with."

"What is it, Albanion?" The Yellow dragoness asked. Albanion inhaled a breath, as if unsure of whether to speak of whatever it was.

"Prince Rune is alive."

"What?" The Crimson dragon asked.

"You heard me well enough, Wraith. Rune lives."

"Prince Rune? Alive?" Lilith queried.

"That's not possible, man." Wraith added.

"It is true. Just a few days ago, we discovered him living in Glenhaven, disguised as a Purple dragon. Unfortunately, when we found him, he attacked us and fled. Where he is now, I am unsure."

"Well, we can go look for him." Lilith said.

"Do not bother. Focus on getting to the Pit of the Fallen. You are presumably much closer to it than we are. That is all."

The window turned back into Black energy, which flowed back into Wraith. He grimaced as the process ended.

"I hate that." he muttered.

Wraith and Lilith went back over to where the Dark Red dragon had placed Cyrus in the wall. The prince was still pounding away, complaining about being trapped, while Tina sat nearby, giggling. Wraith sighed and waved his paw.

The shadow wall vanished, and Cyrus tumbled onto the ground. Tina laughed at the sight. The young dragon got back up onto his feet, a stream of curses flying from his lips.

...

Later on, back in the cheetah village, Cyrus and Tina had gone off to explore a little. Meanwhile, Wraith and Lilith were in the wooden hut, locked in conversation.

"Well, this complicates matters, doesn't it?" Wraith asked Lilith.

"How so?"

"Up to this point, we were traveling in secret, secure in the fact that nobody knew Prince Cyrus's motivation. But now, it's suspected that he's planning to revive his mother."

"Albanion told us to go 'look for him', in the Mountains of Inferdus." The Yellow dragoness replied. "We can still travel as we have."

"Yes, but now we have even _less_ time to succeed than we had hoped."

Lilith sighed.

"Well, then we should hurry to Warfang, then."

For a moment, there was an awkward silence.

"Do you think Albanion was right?" The dragoness asked.

"About what?"

"About prince Rune being alive."

Wraith ran a paw through his mane.

"Heh. I haven't thought about that boy in years."

"Do you think we should tell prince Cyrus?"

"Beats me. To be honest, I won't believe it until I see it."

"Perhaps you're right." Lilith looked up at the sky from the doorway.

"Say, are you still mad at Cyrus?" Wraith queried.

"Well.. not as much as I was this morning." She replied, looking back at him. "But still, he shouldn't think such things about his father."

"It's not entirely his fault, Lilith." The Crimson dragon stated. "I've been his teacher for most of Cyrus's life, and I can honestly say that King Bane hasn't been around him as often as he should have."

"But has Bane ever shown any indifference towards his son?"

"Truthfully? He has, on occasion..."

The dragoness sighed.

"I still refuse to believe that Bane does not care for his son."

"Believe what you want, Lilith, but don't scorn prince Cyrus for feeling hurt." Wraith let out a yawn. "I'm going to get some rest before we need to get ready to leave."

"Do as you will..."

The Dark Red dragon walked to the back of the hut and laid down. He closed his eyes and drifted asleep...

...

A moment later, he was violently shaken awake by Lilith.

"WHAT?" He yelled crankily. Suddenly, he heard the sounds of a great struggle echoing all throughout the village.

"We've got a problem!" Lilith exclaimed. Wraith ran out of the hut and was shocked with what he saw:

Allover the village, the cheetahs were locked in a heated battle against a swarm of strange monsters. They were hideous beasts, half bird, half reptile, and their hides were completely black. Some were small, while others were massive in size. Arrows filled the sky. Screams of agony echoed throughout the air. Swords clashed, and flesh was rended from bone.

Wraith knew immediately what the monsters were.

"Crepsculi?" He shouted in shock. "What are **they** doing here?"

He looked back at Lilith.

"Did _you_ do this?"

"Of course not!", the dragoness snapped. "What could the people of this village do to me that would warrant an invasion of _Crepsculi_?"

A cheetah limped up to the dragons. He was clutching his right arm, which was missing a large chunk of flesh. Blood poured form the wound.

"Help us, PLEASE!" He begged.

"Don't worry, we'll aid you." Lilith said. She looked back at Wraith.

"Wraith, go find the children. I'll take care of the Crepsculi."

Wraith nodded, and took off into flight. The Yellow dagoness sprang into action, charging up her Lightning magic.

...

Cyrus and Tina had flown to a waterfall that sat just outside the village. The two just sat together on the ledge, looking at the sights of the great valley before them. After a day filled with training and worrying about gathering dragons, it felt good to just relax.

"Great view, huh?" Cyrus asked Tina.

"Yeah…" She said, smiling.

The prince had actually meant the dragoness, but he didn't say that. He blushed a little, looking away from her.

Cyrus swore, Tina had to have been the prettiest girl he knew. Ever since he met her around five years ago, the prince was always wanting to tell her he liked her. Sadly, he could never do it.

He tried dropping hints here and there, but Tina was such a tomboy. She might've liked roses and other flowers, but that was as girly as she would get. Back at The Nexus, when she wasn't randomly play-fighting with Cyrus, she was always doing very un-ladylike things, like challenging the other boys into pulling pranks on people, or spitting over the side of The Nexus's outer walls.

One of the Black dragon's longest pasttimes was trying to impress Tina with his magic. Whenever he found the time, he liked to perform amazing feats and tricks with his magical prowess to amaze Tina and a few of the other children in The Nexus, what little there were.

One infamous example of this was when Cyrus tried to use his Flora element to make an Apple tree grow in the middle of The Nexus's chapel. Unfortunately, he was still learning how to control Flora at the time, and he ended up causing a massive amount of Moss to grow allover the building. The other kids laughed their rears off at the sight, but the Chapel Elders wanted to slap Cyrus silly for it. As punishment, the Prince had to do away with all the moss by himself, and his bare forepaws.

However, when nobody was looking, Tina sneaked in and started helping him clean up. Cyrus tried to tell her it wasn't necessary, but she helped him anyway. The girl said that Cyrus was her best friend, and she would always be there to help him out when he gets into trouble.

Cyrus loved having Tina as a friend, but wanted to be a little bit more.

"When should we be getting back?" Tina asked.

"I don't know", The Prince answered, shrugging.

Cyrus took in a deep breath.

_I'm doing it_, he said to himself. _I'm telling her._

"Hey, Tina?" He asked.

"Yeah, Cy?" She looked at him.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you…."

"What is it, Cyrus?"

"Uh…"

He started to get nervous.

_No, you fool! _He yelled at himself. _Don't get nervous! Tell her!_

"Cyrus, are you okay?"

"Yeah, um… Tina, what I've been meaning to tell you is… I…"

Suddenly, the two young dragons started to hear strange growling and shrieking noises coming from behind them.

"Hey, what's that noise?" The yellow draogness asked.

The two turned around, and jumped in surprise. A whole bunch of monsters had snuck up on them from out of nowhere. They looked like a bunch of lizards covered in Black feathers, and had beaks filled with razor-sharp teeth. Some of the monsters looked large and fatter, while a few others had spider-like legs and Scorpion stingers.

Cyrus and Tina screamed in fright, and the monsters jumped to attack them. The two young dragons immediately took to the sky, preparing to fight back.

The concept of time seemed to vanish as the two young dragons defended themselves. Tina started slashing and clawing at the monsters, while Cyrus fought them off by blasting them with his Wind Breath. When Tina got surrounded by four of the monsters, Cyrus used his Dragon Time ability to race over and slash at each monster's neck, causing them to fall to the ground and bleed profusely.

The Yellow dragoness used her jaws to rip several of the attacking monsters' throats out. Cyrus did the same. But despite their best efforts, the monsters kept coming. They seemed to be crawling of pools of Black energy. Seeing no other course of action open, Cyrus relied on his most powerful element: Pain. As he prepared it, his eyes started to glow red. So did his talons.

"Tina, take cover!" Cyrus shouted to her.

As she did what he said, Cyrus sprang into action. He started stabbing his talons into the flesh of the monsters. As soon as he did, dark energy filled their bodies, forcing each one of their nerves to lose control, throwing them into spasms as if they were being electrocuted. But there was more to it. Multiple holes started appearing in the creatures' organs, causing them to hemorrhage internally. One by one, the monsters fell to the ground, blood spilling allover the place. Some of the blood spilled into the adjacent waterfall, turning the water red. Soon, all of the monsters lay dying.

"That was unbelievable, Cy!" Tina exclaimed. Cyrus grinned.

"It was, wasn't it?"

But then, Cyrus realized something. The monsters were starting to turn into black mist. And what was worse, they were combining together. Cyrus and Tina backed away from the growing mass.

"Cyrus, Tina!"

They heard someone shout. It was Wraith. He suddenly appeared over them in a cloud of smoke, and landed with a thud before the growing mass of Black Energy. The two young dragons ran behind their tutor.

Just as they got safely behind Wraith, the mass of darkness turned into a giant version of the smaller monsters. It had eight Spider-like legs, and a great, thick body. It had three massive heads, all of which were filled had four Blood Red eyes and beaks filled with razor sharp teeth.

The behemoth towered over them, all of tis growling.

"I'm guessing you kids killed all of the Crepsculi." Wraith said, laughing nervously.

"Crepsculi? Is _that _what they were?" Cyrus asked.

"Yep."

"Then what is that thing they combined into?" Tina shouted

"Well, that is what we call a Crep-gigas. When a mass of Crepsculi are defeated at once, there's a chance that they'll combine to form these big things."

The Crep-gigas stared down at the three dragons. Wraith spread his wings to protect Cyrus and Tina.

"Why isn't it doing anything?" Cyrus asked.

"I'm not sure." The Crimson dragon replied. "Shit, I don't even know what it's _doing_ here! Crepsculi can only be summoned into the world by a powerful dark dragon, and there aren't any of them around Avalar besides me and Lilith. And we certainly didn't summon any Crepsculi."

After a moment of the Crep-gigas just looking at them, Wraith decided to try something. He slowly approached the beast, taking small, cautious steps.

"Listen here, beast!" Wraith shouted to the Giant. The monster seemed to understand him, its growling simmering to a low hum.

"What's he doing?" Tina asked Cyrus.

"I don't know." He answered.

"Crep-gigas, I command you to return to the Underworld! Whatever your objective was, forget it!"

Wraith had hoped the Crep-gigas would listen.

Unfortunately, it roared at him with all three heads, knocking him back a few inches and covering his face and mane with loose saliva. The two younger dragons grimaced in disgust.

"Charming..." Wrait stated, wiping goo from his mane.

The Behemoth swung its left front claw down to knock the Crimson dragon aside. Wraith teleported backwards towards the young dragons just before he was crushed by the beast's talons. His heart was racing a bit.

"I guess I have to kill it. Sit this one out, kids."

Wraith charged up at the beast. He used his teleportation ability to appear in multiple places around the monster.

"Get him, Wraith!" Tina cheered.

Wraith dealt a series of nasty gashes and bites all around the Crep-gigas's body. He even managed to bite into a few talons, and rip them off the monster's body. But the monster didn't react to being dismembered. In fact, it showed no signs of pain at all.

"What's going on? It's not getting weaker!" Wraith exclaimed in horror.

Thinking desperately, Wraith decided to target the weakest point of a Crep-gigas: The eyes. He flew at the monster's face, hoping to slice through the Crep-gigas's eyes, but the monster fired a blast of Black energy at him when he least expected it.

Wraith plummeted out of the air and violently crashed into the ground. The sound of bones cracking filled the children's ears. They looked on, horrified.

"Wraith!" Cyrus exclaimed.

The Black dragon ran over to his tutor, who was hacking up blood.

"Cy, get away from that thing!" Tina screamed.

"I'm fine." Wraith said, groaning. But he didn't look like it.

"Take Tina and run." But Cyrus didn't listen. He just stood over the Dark Red dragon, unable to speak.

_This can't be happening!_ Cyrus looked up at the monster towering over him. Suddenly, Cyrus's sadness became replaced with rage.

_This is YOUR fault!_

He glared at the Crep-gigas. His eyes glowed white. His heart beat rapidly, and he began to shake.

Cyrus jumped high into the air and tackled the beast's chest with the speed of a cheetah. He broke into the beast's torso and rammed into its heart. Without thinking, Cyrus roared as loud as he could, unleashing a gigantic storm of Black energy throughout the beast.

The Crep-gigas twitched in agony as he was destroyed from the inside out. The monster slowly disintegrated into black energy, which faded away into nothingness.

Once the beast was gone for good, the prince fell to the ground, suddenly very tired. He could barely lift his head off the ground. All he could do was look over at Wraith and Tina.

"What the fuck was _that_?" Wraith exclaimed, struggling to get back onto his feet. One of his wings broke in the fall he took. Tina ran over to Cyrus, while Wraith limped his way over.

"Cyrus, are you okay?" Tina asked. But Cyrus was too tired to speak. He tried to lift his head, but he only got more tired. Finally, Cyrus managed to say something.

"I'm….okay."

After that, Cyrus passed into unconsciousness.


	13. Act 2, Chapter 2

Act 2, Chapter 2

After the events that took place in the Settlement, Hontus, Seraph, Voden and Jules had spent the next day traveling across the rest of the Fractured Hills.

After this, the four dragons spent the next two days flying North and East across the Central Ocean to get back on track. Eventually, they had made it to the Northern Continent, stopping to land at the edge of the Veros Outskirts, where it met the Raunn Jungle. Warfang was less than a day's journey, but the four dragons were tired from their flight. The sun had set not an hour ago.

"We need to find a place to rest." Jules said, stretching his neck.

"Why don't we keep flying?" Seraph demanded.

"Love, we need to get some rest." Hontus answered.

"But what about our children?"

"We can't help them if we're too tired to stand."

Seraph looked down and sighed.

"I suppose you're right."

"Hey, do any of you see what _I_ see?" Voden asked, looking at something off in the distance.

"What is it, Voden?" Jules asked. The Orange dragon pointed at something in the distance on the Outskirts. The other dragons saw a faint orange and red light dancing in the night.

"Could that be a campfire?" Hontus asked.

"It's possible." Jules said.

"That must be someone else stopping to rest on the Outskirts." Seraph added "Maybe they'll tolerate it if we ask to join them."

"Well, let's find out."

The others nodded in agreement and flew off after the faint light of the fire.

A short while later, the band of guardians came upon the campsite. Sitting a short distance away from the rolling flames was a single, old dragon. A large pack sat next to him. He was wearing a light brown robe around most of his body. He had a purple hide. His face was clearly worn with age. His grey mane fell to the bottom of his neck. His golden horns, which must have once shone brightly, were now a much paler tone, curled backwards. His left horn was missing its tip. Clearly, this dragon had seen many years.

He seemed to be sleeping while sitting up.

"Um, excuse us, sir.." Voden said to the old man. He opened his Emerald eyes, looked upon the four, and smiled.

"Well, well, a group of young guardians traveling in the night." He said.

"Young? We are not young!" Jules snapped. The old one laughed.

"Compared to _me_, you are." The old man got up onto his feet, stretching his great neck. On his hind legs, the old one was significantly taller than the four.

"Would you four care to join me for a meal?"

"We would be honored." Seraph answered. "Thank you, Elder."

The purple one laughed at the comment.

"Elder? No, no, no. I am just an old nomad, traveling from place to place."

"What is your name, old man?" Hontus asked.

"It doesn't matter. Call me what you will." The three male guardians exchanged glances. This old dragon seemed odd, somehow.

"As you wish, Old Man." The Red dragon said. "I am Hontus, a Guardian of the city of Glenhaven. These are my companions, Voden and Jules, and my mate, Seraph."

"It is a pleasure to meet you four." Old Man said, smiling.

The four guardians seated themselves around the campfire as Old Man reached into his pack. He produced Metal frying pan, a pair of tongs, and several slabs of steak. He then sat before the fire, cooking the food.

"Why not just use your Fire breath to cook them?" Jules asked.

"I prefer to use magic only when necessary." Old Man answered. "And besides, this frees my mouth for talking." Old Man looked over at The Red Guardian.

"So, what has you traveling so far from home, Hontus?"

"My son was kidnapped by Dark dragons." He answered. Seraph gripped her paws at their mention.

"Dark bastards!" She yelled.

"Oh dear. What would dark dragons want with a fire dragon cub?"

"Actually, Rune isn't a fire dragon." Seraph replied. "He's…." She didn't know if she could say it, especially to a stranger.

"…He's a dark dragon."

Old Man looked at Seraph, concerned.

"I take it he was adopted then."

"Yes. About five years ago." The Water dragoness replied.

"You almost sound like you find out he was a dark dragon only recently"

"Well, he had always looked like a Purple dragon, kind of like yourself." Hontus said. "The day we met Rune, he was crawling across the Arcus Desert, dying of starvation. Heartbroken to see a dragon cub so young in such a state, we brought him to Glenhaven immediately. After he was healed, we learned that he was an orphan. Seraph had taken a liking to Rune, so we adopted him.

"But a few days ago, we learned he had been wearing a disguise the whole time."

"Why would he hide his heritage?" Old Man asked.

"We don't know." Seraph asked.

"It could be that he feared for his life."

"What do you mean?"

"Well first, let me ask you this. What do you think of Dark dragons?"

"They're evil. They killed hundreds of dragons over the course of the twilight war. Dark dragons killed my father, and cast a great dishonor upon Clan Pisces by destroying their hatheries."

"So, every Dark dragon is evil." Old Man stated.

"Yes. Every one of them."

"Even the ones of Clans Aries and Capricorn, who did not fight on either side of the war?"

"Well…"

"So, if a dragon is born of the Dark kind, they are instantly monsters from that point forward."

"Um…."

"And let's talk about these Dark dragons you're chasing after. Are you after them for their actions, or their race? It's certainly not both, because you know that Rune is a dark dragon as well. If it is because of race, then you would have been happy that they snatched him away in the first place, taking him out of your sight. Or, are you chasing after them to kill them **all**, Rune included?"

Voden, Jules and Hontus were taken aback at Old Man's words. Seraph became enraged.

"How dare you say that! I would never hurt Rune!"

"But Rune is a dark dragon. And all dark dragons are evil, which means Rune is evil. You practically just said so yourself."

Seraph just looked at the old dragon. He was right. The Blue dragoness stared down at the ground, ashamed. Hontus walked over to his mate.

"Seraph…"

"Let me ask you this", Old Man said to her. "Do you love Rune any less now that you know that he's a dark dragon. Is he different now?"

"Of course not. I love Rune just as much as my other children."

"Then why does his race matter?"

"It doesn't." Old man nodded to her.

"Correct. You shouldn't judge a dragon based on his race. There were many bloodthirsty dragons in the war, but they weren't that way because of they were of the _dark_ kind. In fact, one could say that it was the _Light_ dragons who had the most evil beasts among them."

Old Man finished cooking the steaks and handed them out to the other dragons. He didn't cook any for himself, though. Instead, he reached into his pack and produced an odd, small red fruit.

"What is that?" Jules asked.

"Why, it's an apple." Old Man said, taking a bite out of it.

"You don't eat meat?" Hontus asked, incredulous. Old Man swallowed.

"Oh, I do. I just prefer something sweeter every now and then."

After finishing the apple, Old Man disposed of the core.

"Now that I think about it", Old Man began again, "Four adult dragons seems a tad much to bring back one dragon cub."

"Well, we're also trying to find our two other children, Blank and Nellie", Hontus said.

"And my daughter, Emerald", Jules added.

"Right. Those three got the idea in their heads to go rescue Rune themselves."

Old Man burst into laughter.

"Children! They do the darndest things, don't they!"

The Orange and Yellow dragons chuckled a little, but Hontus had a stern look on his face.

"This is serious, Old Man."

"Oh, I know that." The Purple dragon responded, calming down. "They could get seriously hurt trying to combat three adult dragons."

"They're traveling to the far north, to the Mountains of Inferdus."

"Whatever for?"

"We don't know. We can only hope to get their before the kids are harmed."

"We're currently traveling to Warfang to see if the dark dragons stopped there." Jules said.

"Do you know what they look like?" Old Man asked. "Perhaps I've seen them."

The four described what the dark dragons looked like to Old Man. He frowned.

"I'm sorry, young ones, but I haven't seen any like them."

Seraph frowned. "Thank you anyway, Old Man."

"We need to get to Warfang immediately!" Jules exclaimed. Old Man shook his head.

"You should wait until morning. Warfang is quite far from here, and you're quite tired, from the looks in your eyes. Plus, Light dragons cannot see as well as dark dragons at night. Until morning, you should spend the night here."

"Thank you, Old Man, but why are you so kind to us?" Voden asked. Old Man chuckled.

"Can't an old dragon show some hospitality to some friendly strangers?"

Old Man put out the fire. The four guardians chose spots around to fireplace to lay down. Hontus laid down next to Seraph.

"Hontus?" The Water dragoness asked.

"Yes, love?"

"If we met Rune when he wasn't in disguise... Would I have killed him?"

The Fire Guardian looked his mate in the eyes. She was close to tears.

"Of course you wouldn't have. Even with the things you've experienced in the past, you would never hurt a young child."

"But what if Old Man was right? What if I tried to...?"

Hontus sheltered Seraph with his wing.

"Don't think like that. You're a kind dragoness, Seraph. You would have helped Rune either way."

Feeling better from her Hontus's kind words, Seraph nuzzled him. He nuzzled her back, and then turned around to drift off into sleep.

"Goodnight, love." He said to her.

"Goodnight, Hontus."

The Water dragoness reached up with a forepaw towards her left horn. She brushed a few strands of hair aside, and felt an area just to the side of the horn. A small, Tear-shaped birthmark glistened in the moonlight.

"I wonder what you think of me, father." She whispered to herself. "I've been looking after a Dark dragon this whole time, one of the very people who killed you. But, he's always been such a good boy. I raised, fed him, taught him, and healed him when he got sick. Even though I knowthat he's a Dark dragon now, I don't regret giving him the same love I gave Nellie and Blankridge.

"But I fear that this fact would make you even more disapproving of me. You always said I was the odd one out in our family. Everything I ever did only served to enrage you, especially when I eloped with Hontus."

The dragoness shed a few tears.

"I miss you, Father, as well as Mother and Nymph. I wish you all could see what a beautiful girl Nellie is, and love and accept Blankridge and Rune as part of the family, too."

Seraph shut her eyes, and slowly drifted off into sleep. The memories past days began to flow into her mind

...

"Like this, Mom?" Nellie asked.

It was Summer in the city of Glenhaven.

Hontus and Seraph had taken Nellie, Blank and Rune to the large springs that sat at the Southeastern edge of the city, where a large riverbank flowed through it. The three cubs were all around the age of eight.

The two adult dragons had decided to see how well the children could use their respective elements, since they were close to the age where their magic starts appearing. The springs area seemed like the best place to test them.

Seraph was in the middle of teaching Nellie how to use the most basic of Water-based attacks: manipulation of water itself. Across on the other side of the springs, Hontus was teaching Blank how to shoot a burst of Fire from his mouth. Rune sat a short distance away from the Water dragonesses, watching them.

Nellie was currently trying to copy Seraph's chest movements to lift a small bit of water out of the spring and over to her. The adult dragoness chuckled.

"You're moving too roughly, sweetie." She answered. "You need to move as swiftly and calmly as the water itself. Watch..."

Seraph showed Nellie the movements again, and brought a small orb of water over to her.

"There. Now you try, Nellie."

"Okay..."

The younger dragoness tried copying the movements again. She managed to get a few bubbles of water to lift out of the springs for a few seconds, but then they crashed back downwards again.

"Awww..." Nellie pouted.

Seraph chuckled.

"Don't be sad, dear." She reassured. "You're only just getting started with magic. You'll get better with time."

"If you say so, Mom."

Seraph kissed her daughter on the forehead, and then turned to look at Rune.

"Would you like to try it, Rune?"

"Uh..."

The Purple cub had only been Hontus and Seraph's adoptive son for a little over a year. He had gotten used to living with them, but was still nervous about a few things.

For some reason, Rune was reluctant to try to use magic.

"Is something wrong, sweetie?" Seraph asked.

"I... well.. I don't really want to try it." The Purple cub said.

"How come, Rune?" Nellie wondered.

Rune stammered for a moment.

"I.. I don't think I'll be very good at it."

"I'm not expecting you to an expert at it, sweetie: You may be a Purple dragon, but you're still just a cub."

"But, I still don't..."

"Can't you at least try, Rune?" Nellie asked. The Purple cub sighed.

"Oh, okay..."

Rune walked over to the spot that Nellie had been standing in when she was performing the magic, and took in a deep breath. He stared down at the spring water, and cautionsly began duplicating the movements he had seen Seraph and Nellie make.

Seraph assume he had only intended to lift up a small orb of water, just as Nellie had. However, what happened instead had shocked and amazed her.

When Rune performed the movements, almost half of the water in the springs burst out ten feet into the air went flying forwards towards the Purple cub. Nellie leapt out of the way in alarm as water splashed allover the grass and Rune was pelted with several gallons of Spring water.

Hontus and Blank had been in the middle of controlling bursts of Fire when the Water burst free of the spring, and promptly jumped in surprise.

"RUNE!" Seraph screamed in surprise.

The Water dragoness ran over to the Purple cub, who was stuggling to get up onto his feet in the middle of a massive puddle, coughing harshly. Seraph used her magic to lift the water off of Rune's hide and out of his throat.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" She asked, wrapping her forlegs around the cub and held him close, making sure he was completely dry again.

"I... I'm fine, Seraph..." Rune managed to say.

"What happened?" Hontus shouted, running over.

"Rune lifted so much water out of the spring that he nearly drowned himself, Daddy." Nellie answered worriedly.

"He did WHAT?"

"Cool!" Blank exclaimed

"Blankridge!" Seraph shouted. "That's not nice!"

"Sorry..." The Orange cub mumbled.

"Seraph, could you let me go, please?" Rune asked.

"Are you sure you're alright, dear?" The adult dragoness replied. "I never would have expected someone so young to manipulate so much Water magic at one time."

"Yes, I'm fine. Could you please let me go?"

"If you insist, dear..."

Seraph released the Purple cub and stood back up.

"Well, this at lease shows that you're able to wield Water magic just fine, sweetie." She said, smiling slightly. "You just need to learn how to control it. Okay?"

"Okay..." Rune responded.

"That was amazing, Rune!" Blank said, patting the Purple boy on the back. "I wish I could do that."

"It wasn't anything special, Blankridge." The Purple cub stated. "It was just an accident."

"But it was much better than what **I** could do." Nellie replied. "You should be proud, Rune."

"But, it was..."

Seraph chuckled at the three cubs.

"You three are such a funny group." She said, smiling.

Hontus looked up at the sky: It was getting late.

"We should head back home, love." The Red dragon said.

"I suppose you're right." The Water dragoness looked down at her three cubs. "Come on, little ones: It's time to go."

"Yes, Mom." Blank and Nellie said in unison.

"Yes, Seraph." Rune said at the same time.

Hontus and Seraph arched their backs to allow the cubs to climb up onto them. Rune climbed onto Seraph's back, while Blank and Nellie climbed onto Hontus's.

The two adult dragons then lifted off into the air, and flew towards their home on the other side of the city.

During the trip, Rune sighed quietly.

"You okay, Rune?" Seraph asked behind herself to him.

"I'm alright, Seraph." He answered solemnly. "Really. I was just... thinking about something..."

"Oh? What about?"

"I was thinking about... my old family."

"You were? Did you remember something about them?"

"N.. No... I was..." The Purple cub shed a few tears. "...I was wishing that I could, just now..."

Th Blue dragoness turned her head to look at Rune.

"Don't cry, sweetie." She said soothingly. "You'll remember them someday. And when you do, I'll help you find them."

"Really?"

"Of course, Rune. I love you as much as any mother would."

The Purple cub hugged the back of the adult dragoness's neck.

"Thank you, Seraph." He said, smiling.

"Your welcome, sweetie."

...

It was hours later. The old dragon got up and glanced around at the four dragons. They were fast asleep. Seeing the opportunity open to him, the old dragon wandered a good distance away from the campsite. He drew a small dagger into his front right paw. Gritting his teeth, he drove the knife across the side of his left paw, leaving a nasty wound. He then smeared a portion of his blood on the ground, forming a circle.

After tending to the wound on his paw, the old dragon held out his other paw, creating an orb of darkness. He combined the orb with the blood on the ground. The ring of blood then appeared to be set on black fire. After a few seconds, a geyser of darkness erupted from the ring.

Out of the geyser, a figure masked completely in darkness appeared. The figure was about the same height as the old dragon. It was a female black dragoness, with vibrant Emerald eyes.

"Good evening, Milady." The old dragon stated, bowing his head.

"_I take it you found the ones who looked after Rune during his absence?_", She queried.

"Actually, they found _me_," the old dragon answered. "And don't you worry. Tomorrow, I'll point them in the right direction."

"_Excellent. Perhaps we can stop Bane before the Night of Eternal Darkness after all._"

"Have you had any luck in finding Rune's location? Things would go faster if you did. Rune would listen to me." The dragoness shook her head no.

"_I have located __**Him**__, but I do not know where Rune is. I fear that __**he**__ is blocking Rune from my eyes._"

The old dragon grimaced.

"I guess I'll talk to Ignitus again. He have a clue in one of his books that points to where Rune's general location may be."

"_Do as you will, but make sure that Hontus and his allies find the three Deep Shadows first. The two groups will need to aid each other._"

"After finishing here, I'll go find Albanion and the others and lead them towards Hontus's group. Once the two groups are one, I'll arrive to explain the situation to them."

"_That may be required, but be cautious. Tempers may flare if a misunderstanding is at hand._"

"Aye. I have one last question. Has he found Cyrus yet"

he dragoness knew who the Old dragon meant.

"_He is trying to get in contact with Cyrus. He hopes he can convince the boy to cast aside his plans to revive Elenar, before it's too late._"

"Understood." The old dragon turned to walk away as the shadowy dragoness started to vanish.

"_That poor boy has been through so much. And he has to endure even more._"


	14. Act 2, Chapter 3

Act 2, Chapter 3

Rune burst onto the beach. He crashed onto the ground, catching his breath. He had been swimming across the ocean for days. He had been able to use the power of darkness to swim from island to island to keep himself from getting too tired too often, but once he got to the Northern continent, he had released the magic. He instantly got tired afterwards. The young dragon laid on the ground, almost falling to sleep. He decided not to resist it, and let himself fall unconscious.

He had another nightmare. He dreamt he was in a giant city in the sky. A great palace stood in the center of the City. Many technological buildings were spread all across the city. Rune was in The Hive.

All around him, the buildings were burning down from a magically-produced fire, which refused to be doused. Dragons of both Light and Darkness flew all around in the air and filled the streets, killing each other. The Dark dragons were losing the battle. Rune was a young cub again, and was curled up on the ground.

The young dragon had various gashes and rips allover his body. His horns were broken off at the base. His wings were ripped off of his back, parts of his bones sticking free of his flesh. He was crying out in pain. His own blood was pooling around him. And just a short distance away, a giant dragoness stood over him, glaring at him with great disapproval in her great red eyes.

"Are you happy with what you've done, traitor?" She asked coldly.

'I didn't mean for this to happen!" Rune exclaimed.

"Look around you, Rune. Hundreds are dead or dying because of you."

"I was tricked! I swear!" Rune reached for the dragoness's giant talon.

"Help me! Please!"

The dragoness only stepped back from him, turning away from the cub.

"The blood of these dragons is on _your_ paws.." She said back to him. "Wallow in it."

Rune could only watch as the dragoness walked away, entering the flames.

"NO! Don't leave me here! PLEASE!"

Rune woke with a start, tears pouring down his face.

_It was only another dream_, he thought to himself.

The Black dragon curled up tighter where he laid, his crying continuing.

"I'm sorry, Mother!" He choked.

_Calm yourself, young dragon._

"Alright, Chronicler", Rune said, sitting up and rubbing tears away.

_I know the memories bring you great pain, but remember: soon, you will bring her back to life, and you'll be forgiven._

"Yeah…you're right" The young dragon agreed. But he wasn't completely sure.

Rune looked around. It was morning on the Veros Outskirts. The day was cloudy. Rune heard his stomach growl.

_Go find something to eat, young dragon. Then, proceed north. The city of Warfang is a good hundred miles away, but you can make it._

"What's important in Warfang?"

_Cyrus is going to Warfang as well. He seeks aid from light dragons of the elements of Fire, Water and Earth._

"I hold those elements. When I meet him, he'll see that I'm the only help he needs." Rune said.

_Exactly. You catch on quick, Rune._

Rune flew off, looking for prey. After a while, he spotted a herd of deer galloping across the Outskirts, venturing East to the Tarune Forest. Rune flew into action, chasing one of the smaller deer. After a short chase, Rune grabbed the deer's neck and snapped it. The deer fell dead to the grass, and Rune began eating.

Once Rune was full, he wiped the blood from his mouth and proceeded to dispose of the remains by burying it in the earth beneath him.. Once he finished, he flew north, towards Warfang.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this." Rune said solemnly.

_What are you speaking of, Rune?_

"I wish I didn't have to kill weaker animals for their flesh."

_All dragons hunt. It is how they gain the food they need to live. You should know this by now._

"Well, yes, I know we have to, but it just feels wrong to me."

_I see. You are bothered by death._

"My mistake caused the deaths of hundreds. I can't stand watching living things die, let alone by my paws."

_Don't equate the lives of wild animals with the lives of dragons. The former are devoid of minds or rational thought._

"I'm not so sure…." The Chronicler sighed.

_You're an odd one, young dragon._

Rune continued on his way to the city of Warfang.

...

Cyrus woke with a start. He looked around, surprised to see he was back in the wooden hut. He immediately thought of Wraith and the nasty beating he took. As he got up onto his feet, he noticed Lilith was by his side, watching him.

"Are you feeling better, your highness?" She asked him.

"I'm doing okay." Cyrus answered. "Where's Wraith? Is he okay?"

"Don't worry about Wraith, prince Cyrus. He fractured one of his hind legs, but the medics here patched him up. He's currently off buying goods from the merchants. Tina is with him too."

"How long was I unconscious?"

"About all night and part of the morning." Lilith got up onto her feet. "Do you remember what happened yesterday, your highness?"

"Uh…" Cyrus scratched his head.

"Tina and Wraith said that you rammed the Crep-gigas's chest, breaking your way into it. After that, you somehow destroyed it from the inside out."

After thinking about it for a moment, the prince remembered.

"Oh yeah…"

"Do you know how you managed to destroy it?" Cyrus shook his head no.

"Sorry, it kind of just happened. One minute I was upset that Wraith got hurt, and the next thing I knew, I was inside the monster, killing it." Lilith sighed.

"Well, at least everything's fine now. That's all that matters. Come, we need to meet up with Wraith and Tina. We're getting ready to leave for Warfang."

Cyrus got up and stretched. He realized he was hungry.

"Can I go get something to eat, first?" He asked.

"Go ahead. But stay close to the village, and be back within the hour."

"Okay."

...

Cyrus flew out of the village and wandered about in the adjacent forest. He flew around the trees, looking for something good, when he spotted a few squirrels running about on the tree branches. Deciding on the ones he liked, he used his Fauna Element to take over their bodies, the same way he did before. He had the squirrels jump right out of the tree and into a small clearing. They fell fast and hit the ground hard, no longer moving. Cyrus then flew down to the dead bodies started eating.

_I love using magic for this!_, Cyrus thought to himself. _It takes all the hard work away._

He was almost finished when he heard a voice shout to him.

**Cyrus, behind you!**

"Huh?" Cyrus turned around to see a Crepsculi jump at him, claws extended. He rolled out of the way just before the beast could gore him. He looked around. More Crepsculi were surrounding him.

"Woah!" he exclaimed. "You guys don't give up, do you?"

**Don't stand there wisecracking, Cyrus. FIGHT!**

"Hey, who's there?" Cyrus asked.

There was no time for banter. The Crepsculi leaped into battle. Cyrus activated his Time element and started sprinting around the attackers, slashing at them repeatedly. When the Dragon Time wore off, several of the Crepsculi fell dead. Cyrus was about to the same thing, when he realized something:

"If I kill you all, you'll only form together into a Crep-gigas again!" Cyrus exclaimed. 'I ain't fighting one of those again! I'm outta here!" He took to the air, flying over the creatures. They then followed him through the air.

"Man, you're persistent!" He shouted at them.

**Cyrus, come to a stop**_, _the voice said. **I can help you.**

"Okay, who are you?", Cyrus asked. "And _where_ are you?"

**I'm an ally. As for where I am, I'm nearby, and that's all that matters right now.**

"Gee, thanks." The Black dragon said sarcastically. He tried to fly back to the village, but the voice warned against it.

**Don't lead them to the village, Cyrus!**

"Why not? I can't handle them by myself!"

**Just come to a stop somewhere else. I'll defeat them.**Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"Fine!" Cyrus turned in a different direction, leading the Crepsculi to another open area in the forest. As he landed, the Crepsculi swarmed around the area, completely blocking Cyrus within. He started to get nervous.

"Hey, voice! If you were planning on defeating these guys, now would be a good time."

**There's no need to be so sarcastic, young dragon.**

After a moment, something strange happened. The Crepsculi were suddenly struck with elemental bursts of magic that seemed to come out of nowhere. Some were set aflame, some instantly froze in place, some became electrocuted, and the others had green bursts of energy strike them down. All of the Crepsculi fell to the ground, dissolving into black energy and vanishing into nothingness.

The Prince's mouth was hanging open with amazement.

"Wow!" He exclaimed. "You must be a pretty powerful dragon."

"You could say that, yes."

Cyrus jumped. This time, the voice sounded close by, and **not** in his head. He turned to see where it was coming from.

Cyrus saw a dragon standing in the shade of a couple of trees just outside the clearing. He couldn't make out any features except for that it was a male dragon, and had purple eyes.

"Who are you?" Cyrus asked again.

"My name doesn't matter. What's important right now is what I have to tell you_._" The dragon said. There was something strange about his voice.

"What is it, then?" Cyrus asked.

"When you get to Warfang, you should stay there. Forget about you quest to revive your mother_._"

The prince was taken aback. He immediately started arguing!

"NO WAY!" He protested. "I have to bring Mother back before the Night of Eternal Darkness!"

"You're wrong_._" The dragon replied,

"No, I'm right! Mother is the only Dragon that Father will listen to! She has to stop him before he uses the Eclipse's power to kill all the world's Light dragons!"

The strange dragon sighed, shaking his head.

"Cyrus, you don't understand. Your plan is going to fail miserably_._"

'SHUT UP!" Cyrus screamed. He turned around and flew away, going back to the village.

"Cyrus, wait! Listen to reason_!_"

But the young prince just flew away, refusing to hear him out. The dragon sighed, turning around.

"You stupid boy. If you go to the Pit of the Fallen, you will only make matters worse_._" The dragon proceeded to turn around and walk forward, slowly vanishing. For a brief moment, a small patch of sunlight shined on the dragon's tail, it's purple scales glistening brightly in the light, before disappearing.

...

Albanion, Elza and Aegis continued on their way to Warfang. They had skirted along the edge of the Tarune Forest as they did. As they finally turned east, they came across an odd sight:

A great number of Moles and Cats, possibly seven hundred strong, were traveling across the land. There were men, women and children among them, all seemingly with an air of depression on them. They had an enormous amount of supplies and sundries packed in scores of carts and wagons. It seemed that they were heading east to the Forest.

"What could this be about?" Aegis asked.

"I know not, but we shall find out soon enough." Elza answered, taking the lead. Albanion and Aegis followed her.

The three Deep Shadows flew up along the southern side of the massive train of wanderers.

"Excuse me.." Elza called out to a group of moles. "Could you please explain where all of these people are traveling to?"

"Oh, ze most horrible thing haz happened!" One of the Moles exclaimed. "Ze Zity of Warfang! Zee has been taken over by zee Dark dragonz!"

"Dark dragons?" Albanion asked.

"Yes!" A female cheetah exclaimed. "They appeared right in the middle of the city. They disguised themselves in strange shadows somehow. They were led by a Black dragon who called himself 'Bane'."

"When zee Bane took Warfang, zee Molez and Catz didn't want to be ruled by ze black dragon, zo we all decided to leave for ze Tarune Forest."

"Is it just Moles and Cats?", Aegis asked. "What about the other citizens of Warfang? Where are the dragons?"

"They're dead." The female cheetah said solemnly. "King Bane had them all eradicated."

"All of them?"

"Strangely enough, no. He spared all of the young cubs, hatchlings, and unborn Dragon eggs. What he plans on doing with them, nobody knows."

The three Deep Shadows glanced amongst themselves. Then Albanion looked at the Mole and Cheetah and said, "Thank you for the information. My colleagues and I are headed for Warfang."

"I would not go there if I was you, dragon", the cheetah said. "It would be suicide."

"Thank you for your concern, but we can defend ourselves."

And with that, Albanion, Elza and Aegis took off to the West. They spent the rest of the day traveling.

...

Cyrus returned to the village and told the others about his encounter with the strange dragon. Wraith had a few bandages wrapped around his left hind leg, but other than that he seemed completely fine. He was carrying the bundle on his back, as if he had never gotten injured. Lilith was helping him with a few of the straps on a larger pack.

After the Black dragon finished recounting the scenario, Wraith shook his head.

"You sure you didn't imagine it, your highness?"

"Why would I imagine it?" Cyrus demanded.

"Well, the only dragon I can think of who can wield Fire, Water, Lightning and Earth simultaneously is your Father, and we _all_ know he's about a quarter of the world away right now."

"There's no way it was Father. This dragon's eyes were purple!"

"Purple?" Lilith asked. "That's rare for Light dragons."

"I'm swear, a dragon with purple eyes and a strange voice showed up and just _destroyed_ the crepsculi without any effort! And he warned me to stay in Warfang and forget about reviving Mother!"

Wraith's expression changed to one of concern.

"Okay, _now_ I'm starting to believe you a little."

"You are?" Cyrus and Lilith asked at the same time.

"Yeah.. After all the hard work and effort you've put into trying to bring Lady Elenar back, there's no way you'd joke about forgetting it."

"So the dragon was real." Lilith said. "I wonder who he was."

"Whoever he was, he'll have go bother somebody else. We're not giving up on reviving her Majesty".

And with that, Wraith, Cyrus, Lilith and Tina took off into the sky, leaving for the City of Warfang. As they left, the strange dragon watched them leave from the side of a tree.

"You mustn't try to bring her back, Cyrus_._" He said, though he knew nobody could here him. "You have no idea what you'll unleash in her stead if you do…"

...

"No, Mommy!" a young cub pleaded. "I don't want to go to sweep!"

"Please, little one. Don't fight." The cub's mother said soothingly. "It's for your own good."

Bane had begun the next phase in his ultimate plan.

After transforming the entire population of Warfang's dragon hatchlings and cub's into Dark dragons, the King had them all sent to the lower levels of The Nexus. They were being sent there so that they could sleep until the Night of Eternal Darkness came.

But it wasn't just the transformed hatchlings and cubs who were being sent there.

Bane had decided to send all the naturally born Dark dragon children, both above AND below the age of accountability, to The Nexus's lower chambers as well, so that all the children could be integrated together. Though the Black dragon did not tell his people his ultimate plans for the children, he did say that they would be unharmed, and that it was for the best for the entire Dark dragon race.

The dragons of The Nexus who had children started bringing them to the lower chambers of the fortress. Most of the children did what the adults told them to with no qualms. A few of them, however, feared for their lives.

The young cub who cried out in protest, a Wind dragon who was barely four years old, was trying to break away from his mother's grip. They were currently waiting in line to step inside one of the chambers when the commotion began.

"I don't wanna go!" He exclaimed. "Why awe you fowcing me, Mommy?"

"Nothing bad's going to happen to you, little one." The mother promised. "It's only going to last for a little while. You won't even remember going to sleep when you wake up."

"But it's scawy in thewe!"

"Please, my darling, calm down.."

"What seems to be the problem, here?" Asked a thick voice.

The Deep Shadow Grail, who had been keeping watch over the proceedings, had walked up to the mother and her petulant cub.

"Oh, uh... my son is protesting this circumstance, sir." She said nervously. "I'm doing the best I can to calm him down. Nothing to worry about."

"I wanna go home!" The boy shouted, shaking madly.

Grail groaned in contempt.

"You are doing a poor job." He said with chagrin. The Burly dragon proceeded to snatch the child out of his mother's grip and lift him before himself.

"Put me down!" The cub screamed.

Without a word, Grail struck the back of the cub's neck with the flat side of his paw, knocking him outcold instantly. The mother dragoness gasped in shock.

"There." The Deep Shadow stated, handing the cub back to her. "Next time, calm your child down before such extremes are required to keep the peace.

"Y.. Yes, sir."

"Now, go and place your son amongst the others." Grail commanded.

The dragoness bowed and walked off, holding her child close to her.

A Good distance away, on the outer yard of the Fortress, Bane had been keeping watch over the events.

He didn't exactly enjoy scaring the children by having them enter hibernation. Rather, he felt that he _had_ to do it, in order for everything to be as perfect as he intended.

Once the children were all asleep, he could then begin using his Memory element to enter their minds and wipe their memories of anything having to do with Light dragons in any way, shape or form. The problem is, Bane would require an extremely high amount of Dark energy to pull this off. That's where the Night of Eternal Darkness came into play...

"Your hignhess!" Someone shouted from behind.

Bane turned around to see Rose coming to a landing nearby.

"What is it, Rose?" He demanded.

"We have a problem, your highness." The Silver dragoness replied. "A most undesirable visitor has arrived in the city."

"Undesirable? Undesirable how, exactly?"

The Deep Shadow approached and whispered into Bane's earhole.

"Light dragons."

...

Three metal Carriages entered through the Western side of Warfang.

The people traveling within the Carriages, traders visiting from Aeroshard, had heard news that the city had been taken over by Dark dragons, who were supposed to be extinct. The owner of the Caravan, an Earh dragon named Saul, wanted to see this for himself. But when he saw the giant Fortress floating about the city, his heart nearly lept from his chest.

Saul had a Lime Green hide, and a grass green underbelly. He had a big, thick build, and was in his late thirties. He had two thick, Emerald green horns on the sides of his head, which curled backwards and upwards. A rugged brown beard grew from his chin, and he had a big Brown mane that hid the bases of his horns. He had Bright yellow eyes, and shining Yellow glyph shaped like an inverted Circle on his back. He wore thick Brown gloves on his forepaws, and a short red cape over his back.

Saul was the commander in chief of the city of Aeroshard. For the longest time, he had been on good relations with his father-in-law, the Earth Elder Richteriel of Warfang. Every so often, the Commander would travel to the city of Commerce with the soul purpose of selecting a few of the Warfang Temple's finest students, and recruit them to join his Military power in Aeroshard.

Saul's wife and son, two more Earth dragons named Olivia and Johnathan, sat in the same carriage, and were equally shocked by the sight of the flying Fortress.

Olivia had a Grass green hide and a bright red underbelly. She had four slender horns, which bent out from her head like lightning bolts. She had bright red eyes, and a short brown mane. She wore a Bronze medallian around her neck, and a pink scarf around her neck.

Johnathan was a young dragon, a little over fourteen years old. He had a Lime green hide, and a red underbelly. He had a thick hide, despite being relatively short. He had a thick brown mane, and bright red eyes, like his mother's. He had the same Yellow glyph on his back that his father had, and wore various pieces of silver jewelry on his horns and ankles. A thick brown cape hung over his wings.

"Can this possibly be true?" Olivia shouted.

"It seems to be." Saul said solemnly. "And if those Dark bastards are being led by the man I hope it _isn't_, then we're in a heap of trouble."

The wagons pulled to a stop in front of Warfang's Temple. Moments after this, over a dozen Dark dragons of various elements surrounded the wagons, all of them in battle stances.

"This was a bad idea, Dad." Johnathan stated. "We're fucked."

"Calm down, Johnny!" Saul snapped. "I think we can get out of this alive..."

The adult male dragon slowly opened his Carriage door and cautiously stepped outside.

"Be careful, dear." Olivia said worriedly.

Saul calmly stepped forwards, his head bent low to show surrender. During this, a Dark Grey dragoness in an even darker set of robes approached the Earth male.

"You must be either a very brave, or a very stupid man to come here, Light dragon." She hissed.

"Please..." Saul pleaded. "I.. I don't want any trouble. My family and I were only traveling to Warfang to conduct our usual business with the Temple elders, as we do every year..."

"And just what business might that be, Saul?", A deep voice asked from above. "It wouldn't be anything your kind considers illegal, would it?"

High up above, a great Black dragon was coming to a landing a short distance away from Saul and the female. When the dragon landed, every other Dark dragon bowed their head in submission. Saul, however, gasped in surprise.

"YOU!" He shouted, half frightened.

"It's been too long, Saul," Bane stated coldly, "Ex-prince of the Clan of Virgo, the Clan of Earth."

"Bane..."

The Black dragon King walked towards the Earth dragon.

"Tell me, Saul, why would you choose to run head first into what I presume you would consider the Lions' den?"

"He claims that he and his family came to do business with the late Elders of Warfang." The silver dragoness answered.

"Family?" Bane repeated. "You have a family, Saul?"

"Of course." The Earth dragon answered.

"May I see them?"

"What for?"

"I merely wish to see the family you've started with my own eyes, old friend." The Black dragon answered. "If they are real, then I'll know you're a better man than your father was."

Saul stuttered for a moment.

"Fine." He finally said. "Just... don't hurt them."

"You have my word, Saul." Bane reassured. "Neither I, nor any of my subjects here, shall do you, your family, or your other people harm. As long as you and your subjects reciprocate the notion."

Saul turned around and opened the door to the carriage.

"Bane wishes for you two to come out." He said.

"Why, Dad?" Johnathan asked.

"Just do so."

After a moment, Olivia and Johnathan were standing on either side of Saul, standing in fear of the Black dragon. The King looked them over, a satisfied grin on his face.

"Quite a charming wife you have, Saul..." Bane said. The Black dragon proceeded to closely inspect Olivia's features, which caused her to shake. Suddenly, the King gasped, and took several steps backwards from the dragoness.

"What?" She asked.

"You look familiar..." Bane stated. "Almost as if I've seen you before. You bear a striking resemblance to..."

The Black dragon turned around and took a few steps towards the Temple stoop.

"Tell me: Do you happened to be related to a man named Richteriel?"

"Why yes." Olivia answered. "He's my father. Why?"

Bane sighed.

"Well, this is rather unfortunate indeed..." The Black dragon turned back around. "You see, Richteriel is dead."

The dragoness gasped in horror.

"WHAT?" Saul exclaimed.

"He, as well as the other Elders of Warfang, were found guilty of War Crimes and Ethnic Cleansing: They were the leaders of the Darkstalkers, and had to be executed. By my own forepaws, as well."

"You son of a bitch!" Johnathan screamed angrilly. "I'll fucking kill you!"

The young dragon charged forwards, intending to attack Bane with a blast of Earth.

"Johnny, STOP!" Saul exclaimed.

But it was too late for that.

When Johnathan was mere inches away from Bane, the Black dragon used his magic to teleport behind the young dragon and strike him hard in the back of the neck. The King then lifted Johnathan in the air, spun around, and held the boy out towards Saul.

"I had a feeling that your family's old habits still lingered." Bane said distastefully.

"Put my son down!" Saul demanded, growling.

"Calm yourself, Saul: Your son shall be unharmed, as I promised."

Bane carefully set Johnathan down on the ground before Saul, who lifted him up with his forepaws and set to work returning the boy's unconscious form to the carriage.

"How could you do such a thing to my father?" Olivia demanded.

"Your father proudly declared that he enacted the genocide of my people." Bane snapped. "Whatever kindness he showed you in your life, he showed hatred and spite towards an entire race of innocent men and women. He had to be punished, and is now facing his sins in the Underworld."

"You bastard!" Saul snarled.

"Call me what you will, Saul." Bane stated. "But don't worry: you may not be the best of dragons, but I'm not about to murder you or your family. You are free to go."

"That's suspiciously generous of you, Bane." The male Earth dragon snapped.

"I can afford to be generous." The Black dragon said coldly. "You'll meet your end alongside the rest of the Light dragon race soon enough, when the proper time comes. Until then, enjoy your days, and take good care of your son."

Saul and Olivia turned to reenter their carriage.

"Oh, and one last thing." Bane added. "When you see your companion Angela again, tell her that I said hello."

"Fuck you, Bane." Saul sneered.

With that said, the Earth dragons returned to their carriage, and all three of them continued onwards, making a U-turn and going back the way they came. The King watched them go, a scowl on his face.

_Some people never seem to change_, he thought. _Neither in good ways, nor bad._

The Black dragon turned around to enter into the Temple, Nerona and Rose following close behind.

...

When the four dragons woke up, they were shocked to discover that Old Man had disappeared. He had taken all of his belongings with him. Even the wood for last night's fire was gone.

"Where did he go?" Hontus asked. "Did anyone else see him?"

"We were all sleeping at the same time", Voden said. "None of us could've seen him."

"Hey, he's left something behind!" Seraph said, pointing to a red pouch with a scroll attached sitting on a rock nearby.

Jules picked up the scroll and read it out loud to the others:

_Don't worry about me. I had to continue on my travels. I didn't wish to disturb you. I have taken the liberty of leaving you with a small bit of Currency, just in case you need it. It was a pleasure to meet you all. I will pray to the Ancestors to deliver your children to you safely._

_Old Man_

_P.S., Don't jump into a fight without thinking things through. You may find that the people you declare enemies are really your allies._

"Well, this was a nice gesture on his part. I thank him", Voden said, looking over the pouch in his paws. "Let's see how much he gave us."

The Orange guardian poured the contents of the pouch onto the rock. He had expected there to only be a few coins, possibly bronze or even silver. Instead, several dozen Gold coins spilled allover the rock face. He and Jules just looked at the pile, their mouths open in surprise.

"By the ancestors!" The Lightning dragon exclaimed "Did he give us his life's savings? Who _was_ that man?"

"We may never know", Voden said, picking up the Gold coins and returning them to the pouch.

Hontus and Seraph looked over the scroll. "'Don't jump into a fight without thinking things through…'" Hontus repeated from the scroll.

"'… You may find that the people you declare enemies are really your allies'", Seraph finished. "What do you think he meant by that?"

"Possibly, he meant exactly what he said", Voden said.

"That doesn't answer my question, though."

"Oh, who knows?", Jules began. "Perhaps we'll find out what he meant when we reach Warfang. Come, we must be off."

The four dragons took off into flight. Voden attached the pouch of gold to his Red bangle.

The dragons spent the rest of the day flying to Warfang.

...

As a day's worth of travel came to an end, and the moon rose in the sky, three of the groups finally came to the city of Warfang: Blank and his friends arrived from the South, coming from the Veros Outskirts. Cyrus and his party arrived from the West, having finally left the Valley of Avalar. And Albanion and his ensemble arrived from the East, from the Tarune Forest. Each of the groups was unaware of the other two's simultaneous arrival, but they all knew the same thing:

Something was wrong. Very wrong. Instead of hearing the hustle and bustle of the hundreds of citizens of the city, they heard next to nothing. And just above the city, there was a great black fortress looming over it, hanging in space. The Nexus.

"Oh, no…..", Cyrus said, eyes wide.

"What IS that thing?", Nellie shouted, scared.

"So, King Bane really has succeeded", Albanion said coldly.

All three groups entered through a Gate into the city, and saw the same thing:

Gone were the large crowds of the old Warfang. Instead, there was next to silence. There were some dragons walking the streets, but ones of the dark kind. The dark dragons had taken the city as their own.

Meanwhile, in the bottommost part of the Dragon Temple, hundreds of dragon eggs that were found in the city were being neatly lined up. Bane had converted the lowest section of the Temple into a gigantic hatchery. He had used his Dark Energy to transform each and every one of the city's eggs into dark dragon eggs.

Bane stood before the massive lines of , Grail and Rose, stood next to him.

"Is this every last egg that could be found?" Bane asked Rose.

"Yes, my king." She said, smiling. "Every one."

Bane looked back at the eggs. "Good."

"Isn't it a beautiful view?" Grail asked. "There was once a possibility that the children in these eggs would've grown up learning nothing but hatred for our kind. But now, thanks to you, your highness, they will become the next generation of dark dragons; A shining hope for the future of our race!"

"Perhaps", Bane said.

"Does something trouble you, my lord?" The silver male asked.

"We have little time remaining", Bane continued. "Even if the spell worked, there is a chance it can be reversed at any time before the Eclipse arrives. We need to make sure that no Light dragon comes in contact with the eggs until they hatch."

"There is also the matter of the still-missing prince Cyrus", Rose added. "He believes he can revive the late Queen Elenar."

"So, why not let him try?" Grail asked. "Would it not be a good thing for the Queen to be among us again?"

Bane shook his head.

"He cannot accomplish it. There is no way to raise the dead." Bane turned to leave the hatchery. "Assign our finest soldiers to defend the eggs. We cannot let intruders get to them."

"Yes, your majesty", Rose and Grail said, bowing. Bane left the hatchery, with Nerona following close behind.

...

Bane and Nerona traveled to a chamber in the Temple that the Black dragon had been using as his new personal chambers.

The large room was bare, except for a single window on the far side of the room and a massive, circular mattress in the center. One of the stone walls had the portrait of a younger Bane standing next to the late-Lady Elenar, which was painted during the day of their wedding.

Bane walked across the chamber floor and layed down on the mattress, sighing deeply. Nerona shut the chamber doors behind her before standing at attention before them.

"Another phase of the plan has been completed..." Bane said calmly. "I feared we would have a major snag in the plans when that fool Saul and his kin arrived, but luckilly I chased them away before they realized what I was up to."

"Yes, that was truly some marvelous quick-thinking on your part, your Highness." Nerona agreed.

"With swarms of Crepsculi terrorizing the dragon realms, the eggs waiting in the hatchery below, and the children placed in their hibernation, only thing that's left to do is wait for the others to locate Cyrus and bring him here before the Night begins.

"With any luck, Prince Cyrus will be home just in time." The Dragoness stated.

"Yes..." Bane agreed. "And then, I can finally find a place to rest in peace, knowing that our people have been saved."

The Black dragon turned to look at Nerona.

"I have no other needs for you at the moment, Nerona: You may leave to attend to your own devices."

The Dark Grey dragoness only looked across the room at her King.

"Your Highness, there is something I wish to speak to you about..." She said.

"And what would that be, Nerona?" Bane asked. "Is it important enough to disturb my slumber?"

"Yes, Mi'lord."

Nerona took several steps towards the Black dragon.

"Your highness, you know that I would do anything for you, correct?"

"Of course." Bane answered. "You have been the most loyal of all the Deep Shadows, ever since the night of The Hive's destruction. That's why I chose you to be my personal assistant over Albanion or Grail. Why do bring this up?"

"Well, your Highness, I am beginning to fear for your health."

"My health?" The King asked, taken aback. "I am perfectly healthy, Nerona."

"I mean your mental health, sire."

"Excuse me?"

"Please don't misunderstand me." Nerona quickly added. "Your plans to bring an end to the Light dragons is all well and good, but I cannot sit idly by and listen to you talking about bringing an end to your own life."

"What?"

"Sire, it is perfectly fine to miss your late lover. But it's been a full five years, and still haven't shaken the sorrow from your loss away. I understand that you're lonely, so that is why I feel you need to move on, and find a new dragoness to call your mate."

Bane moved around on the mattress to sit up, and glared down at the dragoness.

"Are you suggested that I be unfaithful to my wife?" He yelled.

"That's the thing: It isn't being unfaithful, sire. There have been many widowers who remarried after the loss of their first mates. It is a natural thing, and helps them fill the void in their lives. But you, sire? You choose to continue remembering the pain of your loss, and it's tearing you apart. I can't bear to see you reduced to a broken shell of a man, and I want to help you."

Bane merely looked at Nerona with a disapproval.

"You wish to be my second mate." He stated.

"I only want what's best for you and your people." The dragoness replied solemnly. "You're a brilliant man, who deserves to live on to watch over the Dark dragon race for many years to come. I can fill your life with the happiness you deserve, and bear you many children."

"Children?" Bane bellowed, frightening Nerona. "You think I would ever desire more children? BAH! I am unable to look after just ONE. What would drive me to become an even bigger of a failure of a father than I am now?"

"You wouldn't be alone to raise the children, your Highness." The dragoness replied. "I would be there to help you raise them, just as Elenar looked after Rune and Cyrus in their early years."

"I understand that you only have good intentions, Nerona," Bane stated, "but my answer is No. I will not take you on as my mate."

The dragoness shed a few tears.

"Can't you at least give me a chance?" She asked. "All I desire is to make you happy, so you do not murder yourself."

"No."

"Everyone else would be devastated. Nobody would ever understand why you would do such a thing."

"No."

"But... I..."

"I... SAID..." The Black dragon inhaled a great breath of air.

"**NOOOOOOOO!**"

Nerona yelped in surprise and fell backwards on the floor.

"A thousand times, NO!" Bane screamed, his eyes filled with rage. "Are you thick-headed, Nerona? You are NOT a replacement for Elenar, nor will anyone else ever be so! Get your head out of the clouds! You are my servant, not my mate!"

"But..." The dragoness stammered.

"You had best pretend this conversation never happened. If I ever hear you ask me this again, I will have you flogged for insubordination. Understand?"

"Y.. Yes, your Highness."

"Good. Now GET. OUT!"

Nerona quickly got up onto her feet and ran out the door shutting it behind herself. She stuggled to keep tears from pouring out of her eyes.

The dragoness turned to walk down the corridor, doing her best to regain control of her breathing. As she did this, she unexpectedly bumped into Grail, who glared down at her.

"I heard what went on in there." He said with distaste.

"Is that so...?" Nerona asked.

"What came over you to ask such a thing?" The Silver dragon demanded. "Did you not think it would be foolish to try and become our Lord's mate? You are lucky he didn't decide to tear you limb from limb right then and there."

"So you know of his plans for suicide, then..."

Grail sighed.

"I do not wish for our master to end his life either, but I doubt that he would allow any dragon to step in and take Elenar's place by his side. He would consider it a great dishonor: on himself, and the other dragon."

"I wished for him to be his old self again." Nerona stated. "If Elenar were alive, she would understand."

"If Elenar were alive, then you'd be a fool to ask for Bane's paw." Grail turned to leave. "I do not think badly of you for what you wanted to do, but it's best if you know your place. Now, I have other matters to attend to. Good evening, Nerona."

The dragoness watched the male leave, a scowl on her face.

"Good evening, Grail."

Once the other Deep Shadow was gone, Nerona continued on her way.

As she walked, and she saw nobody else around, her sorrow faded away, revealing anger.

_Damnation,_ she thought. _I should have known better. Bergan warned me that he was a thick-headed twit. To think: He would actually turn down a chance to mate with a beautiful dragoness like me, and instead opt to kill himself to be with some charlatan._

The dragoness spat on the floor.

_Oh, it's not like anything would have come of our mating at this time anyway._ Nerona stopped to place a forepaw over her the side of her belly. _I already have one within me._

_But still, with that fool taking up abstinence, I'll eventually have to find some other way. It's only a matter of time before that brat ruins everything. But how do I go about it...?_

Nerona thought and planned to herself as she continued on her way.


	15. Act 2, Chapter 4

Act 2, Chapter 4

The three Deep Shadows removed their disguises and flew towards the center of the city. They were among their kind now; disguises were unnecessary.

As they flew towards the Temple, they looked around at the few citizens that wandered Warfang's streets. They were all Dark dragons.

Various hatcheries and orphanages were being torn asunder by the dragons, whether to make room for new structures or simply out of spite. In the meantime, a few architects were planning to make additions to several of the homes and shops that had been partially damaged in some great disaster. Several Flora dragons were hard at work growing new plants around the more barren parts of the city blocks.

"There truly are no doubts in my mind." Aegis stated.

"Bane succeeded in his mass murder." Elza added.

"We must confront him on this immediately." Albanion declared.

The three Deep Shadows came to a landing on the Temple stoop. Some dragons that were guarding the Temple's entrance saw them approach. They were about to tell the trio to halt, but immediately recognized them and their rank, and bowed to them.

"Greetings, Lords and Lady", The captain of the guards, a Silver Fauna dragon, said as they approached.

"Where is King Bane?" Albanion asked. "I wish to speak with him."

"His Majesty has retired to his quarters, sir.", the man replied.

"Well then, have someone awaken him." Elza commanded. "Our matter with him is of dire importance."

"But ma'am, his Highness has been hard at work for days. To interrupt his slumber would surely be disasterous."

"Do you refuse to obey our orders?" Albanion sneered. The Captain gasped.

"N-No, Milord!"

"Then let us through, and awaken the King." The Deep Shadow commanded.

"Yes, sir..."

...

Bane lay upon his great bed, deep within slumber. He was dreaming of a sun-filled day at a beach.

The sun shined brightly in the sky. The wind blew calmly across the land, and the waves crashed gently against the beash sands.

He and Elenar were lying on top of a large cloth upon the sand together, the Black dragon wrapping his tail around his mate's enlarged belly. She had yet to produce her eggs.

"It's a wonderful view, isn't it?" The dragoness asked.

"Of course it is." The Black dragon replied, smiling. "I wouldn't take you to someplace that's sub-par, Elenar."

Elenar giggled.

"I know that."

The two dragons moved up closer to each other, and Elenar rested her head beside Bane's. The Black dragon nuzzled his mate.

"I miss you." He said sadly.

"What do you mean?" Elenar asked, confused.

"I failed to save you. You lost your life because of my failure." Bane began shedding tears.

"Lost my life?" The dragoness queried. "But I'm right here beside you, am I not?"

"Well, yes, but..."

Suddenly, a great rumbling filled the air, causing the two dragons alarm. The sun suddenly vanished from the sky, casting the world into darkness.

"What's happening?" Elenar shouted.

Bane pulled Elenar closer and sheltered her with his wings.

"Stay close to me." He warned.

"Okay..."

Before Bane could do anything else, the Purple crystal around his neck began shining brightly, illuminating the entire area and causing it to shake even harder.

"What madness?" The Black dragon exclaimed.

In an instant, the very earth split under he dragons' feet, causing them, the Ocean water, and the sands around them to plummet into the abyss.

As Bane and Elenar fell, the two dragons spread their wings to fly back up to the surface. However, a gigantic, Purple mass of energy flew out of the abyss and surrounded the dragoness, forcing her to fall back down.

"Bane, help me!" She screamed.

"ELENAR!" The Black dragon exclaimed.

Bane wasted no time chasing after the falling dragoness. He grabbed ahold of her torso and started pulling her upwards as hard and fast as he could.

"Hold on!" He told her.

"I'm trying!" She pleaded.

The Black dragon tried to fight against the Purple energy, but it was slowly overpowering him.

Eventually, the energy started speaking to him. It had a horrible, demonic voice.

_Your mate is my property, fool._

Suddenly, the energy blasted Bane away, causing him to lose his grip on Elenar.

"NO!" He screamed in horror.

The dragoness plummeted deep into the center of the earth.

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE!"

...

The Black dragon was woken up with a start by the sound of someone banging on his chamber doors. and calling for him.

"Lord Bane!"

"Who is it?" He demanded, placing a forepaw on his chest to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, your highness, but Lord Albanion demands an audience with you."

_Albanion?_

The Black dragon slid onto his feet and approached the door, shaking the memories of his nightmare away.

_What a horrible dream. That voice... It almost identical to..._

...

Albanion, Elza, and Aegis were waiting in the Temple Library.

A great number of guards and regular staff were patrolling the upper levels of the Library. Scholares were going about organizing the books, while a few soldiers tore some of the rather undesirable ones to pieces.

The three Deep Shadows were waiting before a great Golden Cushion that was placed before a large Fireplace.

"What do you think is keeping him?" Aegis queried.

"The guard captain said he had gone to rest." Elza answered. "Perhaps we will have to come at another time."

Just then, the front doors to the Library were burst open, and a Black dragon marched into the chamber.

The three Deep Shadows saluted their King as he walked around them and sat down on the throne.

"Greetings, your Highness." They said in unison.

"What are you three doing here?" King Bane asked. "Should you not be heading for the Mountians of Inferdus to intercept my son?"

"We decided to stop here in Warfang before traveling north." Aegis answered. "Imagine our surprise when we saw The Nexus hovering above the city."

"Yes..." Bane replied coldly. "Warfang now belongs to me and the Dark dragon race."

"Might I have a word with you, my lord?" Albanion asked. "Alone?"

Bane had a look of irritation and confusion about him. He used his Sound element to augment his voice and spoke to everyone else in the Library.

"I want everyone besides myself and Albanion to leave this room!" He ordered.

At once, all of the other dragons immediately stopped what they were doing and fled from the chamber. Elza and Aegis turned and left as well, taking their time.

"We'll wait for you outside, Albanion." The Dark Green dragoness whispered.

Once the two dragons were alone, and the doors were shut tightly, Albanion started the conversation.

"What have you done to all the Light dragons?" He asked.

"The teenagers and adults are dead." Bane answered solemnly.

"And the children?"

"I have turned the cubs and hatchlings into dark dragons. They have been taken up into The Nexus to have their memories altered. They will never remember being Light Dragons."

The King pointed a talon to the floor.

"And below us lie every single egg that could be found. They have become dark dragons as well."

"What do you plan to do with them?" Albanion queried.

"They are of our kind now. They will be raised as such. Nothing more."

"So, you plan to bring the dark race back from extinction?" The Dark Grey dragon cocked an eyeridge. "There is more to it, isn't there?"

"Once the Night of Eternal Darkness arrives, every Dark dragon's power will be augmented by incredible amounts during the week-long eclipse. During that time, I will use my enhanced power to summon an entire army of Crepsculi to slay every last Light dragon outside of Warfang. Their hatchlings and cubs will be permanently transformed into Dark dragons."

"How are you able to accomplish that?"

Bane held a paw out.

"With this power I've found."

A strange aura surrounded Bane's paw. Albanion jumped back in shock. The aura was a mixture of Purple and Black energy.

"Wh.. What is that?" The Deep Shadow exclaimed, getting on his guard.

"It's the key to a better future, my friend."

Albanion started to back away. Bane looked hurt, and lowered his paw back to the floor. The aura vanished from existance.

"Come now, Albanion. Did you think I meant to attack you?"

"Where did you get that power?" Albanion demanded

"I draw this power, the power of Convexity, from this Crystal around my neck." The Black dragon answered.

"That trinket of yours? How is that possible?"

"Do you remember when I first created the shroud of darkness, Albanion?"

"Of course, but that was over seven years ago."

"If you recall, When I first created it, Father gave me permission travel the world to test it."

"Yes, you were gone for quite some time."

"During my travels, I decided to venture to the Mountains of Inferdus, to see what had become of it since Clan Aries abandoned it. While there, I discovered a large group of Darkstalkers investigating one of the Mountains' caves. So, disguising myself as a Purple dragon, I convinced them to let me join their group."

"You were among Darkstalkers _that_ long ago?" Albanion asked.

"Correct. I traveled with the intruders deep into the Mountains. Eventually, they led me straight to a great crevice in the ground. The walls of the chamber flowed with incredibly high amounts of magical energy, of both Light and Dark variety. The crevice seemed to fall for eternity, and yet there was a great green glow deep within it.."

The Dark Grey dragon's eyes lit up in alarm.

" They had traveled to the Pit of the Fallen."

"Correct. I did not know what the Darkstalkers planned on doing there, but I knew one thing: They were up to no good. So, I subtly slipped behind them all, and began killing them. I had an advantage, to be sure: They were too trusting of Purple dragons. But, I was not as powerful then as I am now; they proved to be a difficult bunch to kill. I managed to put an end to most of them, and charged at the last one, who was a genuine Purple dragon. I defeated him, but in the process, I was knocked into the crevice.

"I tried to fly back out to safety, but a powerful force started sucking me down. I hopelessly plummeted through a great chasm for what seemed like hours. Eventually, though, I found myself falling towards a great opening in the bottom of the Pit. It opened up towards what seemed like an endless Green abyss, with thousands of spirits flying about at random. In the center, off in the distance, was a giant Dark Purple sphere."

"...You fell into the Underwold." Albanion stated, partially frightened.

"As I fell closer, I realized I could fly again, and slowed my descent. Curious as to what I'd find, I flew towards the sphere. However, as I did this, the spirits flew at me, trying to force me back out of the abyss. Luckily, I was able to use my Space element to repeatedly teleport forwards, dodging their every attempt to grab me, until I reached the surface of the sphere. Seeing a few openings in the sphere's surface, I flew towards one of them, and sealed the opening behind me with a wall of shadow, preventing the spectres from grappling me any further. I then ventured forwards.

"I eventually came upon a room made entirely of Dark Purple Crystals. The entire room brimmed with incredible magic power, like one I had never seen. It was neither Light nor Darkness, but something in between."

"Do you mean to say you found a power source for the mythical Convexity?" Albanion asked, flabbergasted.

"Perhaps. I tried to absorb some of the power, but it rejected me every time. That's when I heard a voice speak to me. I could tell that the speaker must have been ancient and powerful. The voice said,

'_You will never obtain the power around you here by simply willing it to you_'.

"I looked around, and discovered what looked like a purple dragon, frozen deep inside the crystal floor. It must have been there for centuries. It didn't take long for me to realize that it was the dragon who spoke to me. He promised me he'd show me how to harness the energy if I freed him from his prison. I agreed, summoned my Sword, and proceeded to use it to chip away at the Crystal floor.

"I dug for what seemed like days, getting closer and closer to freeing the dragon. As the chunks of crystal started to pile up, I found my desire to harness the crystal's power growing more and more. Eventually, I finally came close to the dragon's body. Once I had finished freeing the dragon's forelegs, head, and part of its chest, the dragon's eyes came to life.

"They were horrible, monstrous eyes, whose Whites were actually completely yellow, with un-draconlike eyeslits. Eyes that could NEVER belong to a normal dragon. The dragon's arms shortly begaon moving on their own, and grabbed my throat, trying to drive their talons into my neck. I felt my mind come under attack by an unknown force. The dragon had tricked me! He intended to possess by body so I would free him of his prison, and then he would kill me afterwards!

"Enraged, I fought with every ounce of control I had left and stabbed the dragon in the chest with the sword. I felt full control return to me as a great scream of rage and agony filled the air, and the dragon let go of my neck. I then ripped my sword free of his chest, drove my free paw deep into the wound, and unleashed a blast of Pain magic. I couldn't see the damage, but I could feel the pressure as the dragon's nerves exploded into agony and blood proceeded to drip through its organs and out of the wound, staining my forepaw in the process.

"As a final measure to slay him, I struck the gaping hole in the dragon's chest with Blood Lightning, electrocuting his dying organs until they exploded."

Albanion flinched.

Blood Lightning. That was the name of the Lightning that Bane controlled. Despite its name, Blood Lightning is actually a combination of Fire and Lightning elements. It is a deadly attack that not only electrocutes a target, but utterly destroys it from the inside out by setting its organs aflame at impossibly high temperatures.

"As the dragon's disembodied screams started to fade, the dragon cursed my name, and swore to get his revenge. His eyes then closed, and I could no longer sense his presence."

"..That dragon was Malefor." Albanion said, dumbstruck. "The dragon that The Great Shadow sealed away so long ago. You found him."

"..And killed him. Sure, if I had known who it was beforehand, I wouldn't have tried to free him in the first place. After killing Malefor, I turned and sought my way out of the sphere. But not before I grabbed one of the chunks of Crystal lying by my feet. Once I had returned to the dark wall that I created earlier, I made it vanish. As soon as I did that, a swarm of spirits surrounded me, paralyzing me. I fell unconscious, and when I awoke, I found myself just outside the mouth of the cave that led to the Pit of the Fallen. I thought it all a dream, until I realized I still had the chunk of crystal. So, after putting it in a safe place, I continued on my journey, letting the scenario fade from memory….. That is, until a few short years ago, when I finally discovered a way to use the power of Convexity."

Albanion just stood there, staring at Bane.

"With Convexity, I can recreate the Dark dragon race, and the Light dragons will fade from memory. The world will finally be freed of the pain and suffering that the Light dragon race has cast."

A long, awkard silence filled the air.

"…You've gone mad." Albanion stated.

"What?" Bane asked, taken aback.

"You've completely lost your mind!" The Dark Grey exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Bane snapped. "I'm on my way to granting our race salvation!"

"By dooming another race to extinction?" Albanion demanded. "If you only intended to kill the Darkstalkers, I would have aided you in a heartbeat. But the Darkstalkers are finally all dead; you're targeting dragons who've done _nothing_ to hurt us!"

"Light dragons are all the same. They seek to kill us as soon as look at us."

The Deep Shadow walked up to Bane, his face changing to one of concern

"Bane, I'm your friend, and I care about you. Listen to me: there's still time before the Night of Eternal Darkness. Toss this plan of yours to the winds. You control Warfang now; end your revenge while you're ahead, before you do something you regret."

The King's features changed to that of rage.

"Why do so many of you keep insiting that I'm crazy?" He sneered. "First that strange old man, then Nerona, and now YOU?"

"Nerona?" Albanion queried.

"That woman asked to take Elenar's place as my mate." Bane stated. "She believes that by having her, I will forego my plans to pass on the Monarchy to Cyrus."

"Pass on the Monarchy?" The Dark Grey dragon repeated. "But he's only a child. The only was he would become King at this time was if you..."

In an instant, Albanion understood Bane's intentions. He flared with rage

"..No." He sneered. "Bane, I will not allow you to do something so insane to yourself!"

"And just why do you care?" The King snapped. "It couldn't possibly matter to you."

"You HAVE gone mad!" The Deep Shadow exclaimed. "You've been my best friend for most of our lives, Bane! You're like my brother! I could never sit idly by knowing you plan to commit suicide! What would Elenar think of you if she knew?"

Another silence fell over the room for a time.

"I will not change my plans." Bane stated.

"Well you should!" Albanion snapped.

"I don't take orders from a subordinate!" Bane shouted.

The Dark Grey dragon just stared at Bane.

"I don't seek to fight you, Bane." He stated, calmly. "I know better than to waste my time arguing with you all night. I will leave Warfang with Elza and Aegis to find your son. We will return when we find him."

"Fine."

Albanion turned around and left the Library, leaving his deranged friend behind. At the last minute, the Deep Shadow turned his gaze back to the King one last time.

"You've changed."

And with that, Albanion was gone.

Bane sighed, and then turned around. He looked down at the Jade necklace he wore, and began to wonder.

_Is he right? Would Elenar disapprove?_

The Black dragon looked up at the fireplace.

_If only Cyrus were here. Then I could speak to her and find out for myself._

The King got off of his throne, and returned to his bedchamber.

...

The Dark Grey dragon walked back to the front of the Temple, he formulated a plan. He knew what he had to do.

It would hurt to see his friend in pain, but Albanion would do anything to get Bane back into his right mind again. After wandering for a while, he found Elza and Aegis waiting for him. When they saw the look on their companion's face, they became concerned.

"What is the problem, Albanion?" Aegis asked.

"I'm changing our objective." He answered coldly.

"To what?" Elza asked.

"We're returning to Glenhaven to find prince Rune."

The Dark Green dragoness gasped with joy.

"You are not jesting, are you?" She queried.

"I do not jest, Elza." Albanion replied. "We need to find Rune and present him to Bane. He needs to undstand that his plans are the work of madness."

"What plans?"

The Dark Grey dragon began explaining to the others what he had learned.

...

After looking around for a short while, Cyrus could tell one thing: He was in deep shit.

He, Wraith, Tina and Lilith arrived in Warfang to find a Fire dragon, Earth dragon, and Water dragon. He didn't expect his father to completely take over the city and replace the population entirely with Dark dragons. He couldn't walk the streets with his disguise on, because it'd seem odd to see Purple dragon walking the streets at this point. And he certainly couldn't walk the streets with his disguise **off**, because that'd be just stupid. He didn't know how to alter the disguise to change to an appearance besides Purple, and neither did any of the others. So, with no real choice available, Cyrus decided to leave his disuise on for the time being.

The four dragons had taken shelter in an abandoned house in the center of the city's residential district. They had removed their disguises: They weren't needed here.

"What do we do now?" Cyrus asked Wraith.

The Crimson dragon only shrugged.

"Beats me. It's okay for Lilith, Tina and I to walk around with our disguises off, because we can say we're stopping for a breather on our search for you. But then there's the whole 'entire population of Light dragons missing' problem."

"Do you think it's possible that some Light dragons escaped into hiding during the invasion, and are currently hiding in the city somewhere?" Tina queried.

"That's an interesting idea you've got there, Tina", Lilith said. "But it's not very likely."

"Unfortunately," Wraith continued, "if there aren't any Light dragons still around in Warfang, we'll have to travel to Faeshrine, or even the southern continent to find help. Still, we should at least have a look around the city. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky."

"Well, let's get looking, then!" The Prince shouted.

He immediately climbed out a window that led out to an alleyway, glided to the ground, and began running off.

"What are you doing?" The Dark Red dragon shouted in protest. "You'll get caught like that, you idiot!"

But he was too late. Cyrus was already well on the move. Wraith groaned.

"Come on, Lilith. Let's go get the prince before he gets caught."

"Right." The adult dragoness agreed. She turned to her daughter. "Stay here, Tina."

"Yes, mother." the young dragoness responded, shaking her head.

And with that, Wraith and Lilith took to the streets, chasing after their prince.

...

Blank, Nellie and Emerald hid in one of the city's many alleyways, watching the occasional Dark dragon walk by.

None of them had never been to Warfang before, but they had heard many stories about what it was supposed to be like; a great big, hustling and bustling city filled with a multitude of creatures. But this, they never expected.

There were more Dark dragons here than they had ever imagined being possible. They were living in Warfang as if they had been there for years. And then there was that great big monolith hanging high in the night sky. What was it? Did it have something to do with the dark dragons?

"This city is huge!" Blank shouted.

Emerald elbowed him hard in the shoulder.

"Shut up, stupid." She snarled in a low voice. The Orange dragon rubbed his shoulder, grumbling.

"..Sorry…" He whispered.

"Those Dark dragons who kidnapped Rune could be anywhere, if the even _are_ in Warfang." Nellie said. "Where would we begin to look?"

"And how could we?" Emerald added. "With all of these Dark dragons wandering around, we could get caught at anytime."

Suddenly, Blank saw someone about their age running across a distant street. Whoever it was, they had a Purple hide.

"Hey, I just saw a Purple dragon just now!" He told the others.

"Where?" the girls asked. Blank pointed to where he saw the dragon.

"He just ran across a distant street. He looked about our age."

Suddenly, two adult Dark dragons in dark grey robes ran across the same street, possibly chasing the Purple one.

"Do you think that's Rune?" Nellie asked.

"Hard to say, but it could be! Let's find out!"

When Blank, Nellie and Emerald saw that the cost was clear, they ran after the Purple dragon and his pursuers.

"Wait, weren't there _three_ Dark dragons who kidnapped Rune?" Emerald asked the others.

Unfortunately, Blank and Nellie they didn't hear her. Giving up that thought, Emerald continued in the chase.

...

Rune had wandered north towards the ancient city of Warfang for quite a while. He had to kill a few more deer to feed on the way. But he didn't care about that. He was actually a little excited.

Rune had wanted to visit the city of Warfang again for years. The last time he traveled there was five years ago. There was so much he wanted to see and do before continuing on his journey to find Cyrus; He wanted to visit the libraries, the museums, and most important of all, the Temple. He planned on going there to pray to The Great Shadow to guide him on his journey.

Rune had lost faith in The Great Shadow when he almost died of starvation in the Arcus Desert, but recently, he found his faith slowly returning. He might even thank her for getting a chance to be forgiven for his past sins.

But when Warfang slowly came into view, his newfound hope was replaced with horror.

There was a great black Fortress floating high above the city, illuminated in the moonlight. He didn't know what it was, but he knew that it couldn't possibly belong to any Light dragons. Thus, there was _no way_ that it was a good sign.

"What IS that thing?" Rune asked out loud. "Why is it floating above Warfang?"

_It would appear that King Bane has recently taken the City of Warfang for himself._

The Black dragon sat down on the ground in amazement.

"What do I do now? I can't go to that city."

_Be calm, young dragon. This is only a minor setback. You can travel around the city's outskirts, keeping just outside of view. _

"Alright", Rune said solemnly. He had really wanted to go to the Temple.

As the young dragon started to travel northeast to go around Warfang, The Chronicler cried out in shock.

_Oh dear._

"What is it, Chronicler?"

_Run! Go as fast as you can!_

"Why?"

_Three Dark dragons have left Warfang and are headed your way!_

At first, Rune didn't see any. But soon, Rune could see detect something moving in the distance. He panicked when he realized who it was:

Albanion, Elza and Aegis.

He took off instantly, running as fast as he could to the east, hoping they would pass by.

At first, it seemed like he had evaded their gaze. But then, somehow, they must have seen him, for they changed their course were now heading straight for him.

"How did they get _HERE_?" Rune exclaimed, panting.

_I know not, Rune, but don't let them capture you!_

Rune tried to take off for flight, but he felt himself being forced onto the ground by invisible bonds. He couldn't move, no matter how hard he tried. He found that his mouth was forced shut as well, so he couldn't release any Magic.

He laid there helplessly on the ground as the three Deep Shadows landed, surrounding him on all sides.


	16. Act 2, Chapter 5

Act 2, Chapter 5

Albanion, Elza and Aegis left the Temple and took to flight, heading straight south.

Elza had mixed feelings.

One one paw, she was overjoyed that they were going to return south to find the missing Prince Rune. On the other paw, she was thoroughly shocked and disgusted to learn that King Bane had been planning to destroy the entirety of the Light race. Sure, there were a few that she would have no problems with eliminating, but there were so many whom she had no vendetta against.

Furthermore, it seemed highly that King Bane would change his mind so suddenly about Rune.

"What are you planning, Albanion?" The Green dragoness asked.

"Elza, you were friends with Queen Elenar for a long time, even when Clan Aries was still living in the Mountains of Inferdus, correct?"

"Of course, Albanion."

"Did Elenar ever happen tell you what process was used to communicate with the dead?"

"Well, yes, but Elenar had me and Nerona swear never to tell a soul without her permission." Elza replied. "But what does that have to do with Rune?"

"We'll need him to speak to his mother." Albanion ansered.

Elza gasped.

"What's wrong?" Aegis asked.

"Albanion, in order for it work, Rune will have to sacrifice some of his blood."

"His Blood?" The Dark Grey dragon was taken aback. "Why?"

"Elza explained the process."

"I see..." Albanion stated. " Well, We don't need a lot of his blood. Only a few drops may suffice. If we find him and get him to listen to reason, he may willingly offer it up."

"It will take more blood than that."

"How much more?" The Dark Brown dragon asked.

The dragoness shivered before continuing. Clearly she didn't wish to speak of the method.

"To get a decent amount of time with Elenar, prince Rune will need to slice part of his paw open and smear the blood from it on the ground."

"I can heal his wound once he's done what he has to." Aegis said. "We don't wish for him to suffer."

"Still, it will be difficult to convince him." Elza added. "And honestly, I wouldn't wish to try."

"I suppose that is a matter for later." Albanion stated solemnly.

The three dragons flew over the wall of the city and headed south.

At first, there was nothing uneventful going on out of the Veros Outskirts. But after a bit of flying, Aegis called out in shock.

"What's wrong, Aegis?" Elza asked.

"I can sense someone approaching Warfang." He asnwered.

After a few more moments, a small purple blotch came into his view.

"There!" The Dark Brown dragon exclaimed. "There's something moving across the Outskirts, just ahead! It is a purple dragon!"

"You don't think it could be…." Elza asked.

The purple blotch suddenly turned and ran East. When they got closer, Aegis could sense fear and anxiety emanating from the blotch.

"It is prince Rune!" He shouted.

"What?" Elza asked incredulously. "What is he doing so far north?"

"Let us find out." Albanion said.

The three Deep Shadows changed their course, heading to intercept the prince.

"Aegis, restrain him before he gets too far." The Dark Grey dragon commanded. "And bind his mouth as well."

"Albanion, what are you saying?" Elza protested.

"I do not want it done to him, but he has to stop fleeing and listen to what we have to say."

The dragoness sighed sadly.

"As you wish..."

Aegis began using his Vicegrip, a mental ability that binds a foe and keeps them from moving.

In almost an instant, the Purple dragon came to a stop on the ground, struggling to move. Deep shadows came to a stop on the ground, forming a triangle around the prince.

Prince Rune was lying helplessly before them, hyperventilating like a wild animal that had been caught in a hunter's trap. He had become much dirtier since the last time they saw him. Patches of his scales were covered with mud. He had dirt in his mane. His once perfectly yellow talons were now partially stained brown.

Seeing Rune like this wounded Albanion. The Dark Grey dragon had always thought of the boy as his surrogate nephew, much like Elza did, even if he didn't wish to show it most of the time. He could remember the days when Rune and Cyrus would pounce on his tail when he wasn't looking, pretending it was prey. And now, the same child lay sprawled on the ground before him. He was older, to be sure, and hiding behind a Shroud of Darkness, but the same Rune was still there.

"Did you have to bind his mouth as well?" Elza asked to Aegis.

"If the last time has taught me anything, it's that Rune won't hesitate to strike at us with his magic." The Dark Brown dragon answered.

"Let me talk to him." Albanion said to the others. He sat on the ground before the young dragon, who was still panicking.

"Your highness, please calm yourself. We're not going to hurt you."

Rune only looked up at Albanion, fear in his eyes. The Deep Shadow sighed.

"We're going to release the binds on your mouth so you may speak, but first you have to promise us you will not use your magic to attack us. Will you comply?"

The young dragon seemed to calm down a little. He shook his head to show he agreed not to use his magic.

"Alright. Aegis, release his mouth."

Aegis did as he was told.

Albanion immediately jumped back, expecting a burst of magic to escape as soon as Rune could open his jaw. To his surprise, the young dragon had kept his word. Perhaps The Dark Grey drake should've given him more credit.

"What do you want from me?" Rune asked, still very much afraid.

"Well, first we want to ask you some questions." Elza answered calmly. "The first question is: How did you manage to survive the destruction of The Hive all that time ago, Rune?"

"I…." Rune started to say. He mumbled the rest under his breath, like he was ashamed to say it.

"What did you say?" Albanion asked. "I couldn't understand you."

"I don't know." The young dragon stated.

"Hmm?" Elza asked.

"I don't know how I survived." he repeated.

"How could you not know, your highness?" Aegis asked.

"Everything happened so fast." Rune began. "It seemed like, one minute, Mother was protecting me from Darkstalkers, .and the next, everyone around me was dead."

"That doesn't explain anything." Albanion said. "Your highness, are you sure that you don't know-"

But before Albanion could finish, a Red dragon flew out of nowhere and tried to light Albanion on fire.

...

Cyrus ran about in the streets of Warfang.

For some reason, all of the Dark dragon citizens had seemingly vanished. This enabled Cyrus to explore for a bit. He wasn't sure how he was going to find Light dragons at this point, but he didn't want to get discouraged. If he couldn't find any in Warfang, he would have to go to either Faeshrine of Glenhaven next. It would cost him extra time, but he'd do anything to bring his Mother back. She was the only dragon that his father would listen to.

The Black dragon came to a stop in the middle of one of the streets and yawned. He was getting tired. Maybe he'd let Wraith and Lilith find him, then he can go back to the safehouse to get some sleep.

Suddenly, he heard someone approaching. At first, he thought it was Wraith and Lilith. But then, he realized there were three of them.

"Uh-oh," He whispered.

He quickly hid in a nearby alleyway, behind a stack some wooden crates. He quietly peered through a crack between two of the boxes to see who was coming. He had expected three adult Dark dragons to be wandering the city. But as they got closer, they sounded much younger. He heard one of them shout out.

"Rune, where are you?"

"What?" Cyrus was incredulous.

Of all the things to happen, it had to be dragons looking for his dead brother? Or maybe they were looking for someone with the same name. In any case, what happened next left Cyrus even more surprised and confused.

Three young dragons ran into his view, all of them roughly his age. Their hides were Orange, Blue and Green, respectively, and the two latter ones were female. He realized immediately what they were.

"Light dragons!" He exclaimed.

That proved to be stupid. He cupped his paws over his mouth, but by then it was too late.

"What was that?" The Orange one asked.

"It came from that alleyway!" The Blue one answered, pointing.

"Crap." Cyrus groaned.

He turned and made a run down the alley, preparing to take flight to get away. Unfortunately, he wasn't looking where he was going, and violently crashed into some garbage cans, making a big racket. He fell hard into the ground, garbage falling allover him, as the three young dragons walked down the alleyway.

"Rune, is that you?" The Green one asked.

Cyrus got back up onto his feet, back facing away from them, and began scraping the garbage off of himself.

"Damnit, damnit, damnit!" He shouted.

"Wait, this guy _can't_ be Rune!" The Orange one said. "Rune doesn't curse."

Once Cyrus thought he got all of the gunk off of him, he figured it was too late to make a run for it now. So, he turned around to face the three young dragons.

"The three young dragons all jumped in shock for some reason.

"He looks just like Rune!" Blue exclaimed.

"Only, not quite." Green added. "Rune only has two horns. And the Mane is different too."

"And this guy's a tad shorter." Orange said. That irritated the Prince.

"I am not _short_!" He snapped. But in truth, Rune had always been a tad taller than Cyrus when they were little.

"But other than that, he's the splitting image of Rune." Green said. "Even his scales are patterned in the same way. This guy could be Rune's brother!"

"I _am_ his brother!" Cyrus blurted out, letting his annoyance get the best of him.

He then clasped his paws over his mouth. The three dragons exchanged glances, confused.

"That's not possible." Orange stated incredulously.

Having already blown it twice, the Prince decided to just keep going.

"I'm not a really a Purple dragon. Watch."

Cyrus held his paw before him and made the Shroud of Darkness vanish, revealing his true colors, literally. The three dragons jumped again. Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"I know the drill: 'oh no, a Dark dragon'" He said sarcastically, twirling a talon around in the air. "'Surely he will kill us all.' I've heard it all before."

"Now he looks almost like Rune did when the three dark dragons removed his disguise." Orange said. "Although, Rune's strange markings were blue, not red."

Cyrus put a paw in the air to stop him.

"Wait just a minute! How do you guys know about my dead brother Rune? What did you me by 'when the three Dark dragons removed his disguise'? And who _are_ you, anyway?"

"My name is Nellie." Blue answered. "This is my brother Blank, and our friend Emerald."

"I'm Cyrus" the Prince responded. "Pleased to meet ya, I guess."

Suddenly, the Black dargon could hear Wraith call out to him somewhere.

"Your highness, where the fuck did you go?"

Wraith flew over them, but then he stopped and flew back.

"Ah, _there_ you are!"

He came to a landing just behind the Black dragon.

"Hi, Wraith." Cyrus said.

"Prince Cyrus, it was very stupid of you to-" The Crimson dragon glanced up to see the three young Light dragons, who seemed shocked to see him. Wraith was equally shocked.

"What the...?" Wraith gave Cyrus a stern look. "Would you care to explain who _they_ are?"

"Would you believe… these guys know about Rune somehow?" Cyrus asked.

"Hold on, who's he?" Blank demanded

"This is my tutor, Wraith." Cyrus answered. "But that's not important. What I want to know is, how do you know Rune?"

"Well, how do _you _know Rune?" Emerald shot back.

Wraith scratched his chin.

"It seems some explanations are in order."

...

Hontus, Seraph, Voden and Jules were almost upon the city of Warfang. Finally, they would reach the city and start searching for the trio who kidnapped Rune. Hontus had taken the lead, with the others flying in a diamond pattern behind him.

"Just hold on for a bit longer, Rune." Seraph shouted. "Your parents are coming!"

If they were lucky, they would find the other kids as well. Then they could finally all go home.

"Are we sure that they stopped in Warfang?" Jules called to Hontus.

"No, but we have to look everywhere we can." The Red Guardians answered. "Warfang is on the way to the Pit of the Fallen. It's possible."

Voden has stayed silent the whole trip since they left the campsite. He kept thinking about what Old Man had said in the scroll he left.

_Was he speaking about the three we're after?_, He thought. _If so, we may be making a big mistake_.

Once Warfang became visible, the four dragons began to sigh in relief. But then, they saw something that horrified them

Illuminated in the moonlight was a giant black flying fortress, hovering over the city of Warfang.

"What could that be?" Jules exclaimed.

"I don't know." Hontus answered.

"Wait, I see something else!" Seraph declared. "There are three dragons standing around something off in the distance, a ways to the direct south of Warfang."

The Red dragon focused his gaze.

He couldn't see as good as a Dark dragon at night, but the moonlight helped him a little. He saw the three dragons Seraph had spotted. He could also make out the feint glistening of moonlight on the object the three were surrounding.

Is was a small, Purple dragon.

Hontus gasped in alarm.

"IT'S THEM!" He exclaimed.

Immediately, Hontus flew into a rage and charged forwards, flying as fast as his wings would allow at the Dark dragons. In only a moment, Seraph was close behind, equally enraged. Jules and Voden, surprised by the instant ferocity of their comrades, charged forwards as well, trying their best to catch up with the two.

...

Hontus flew right over the heads of Aegis and Elza and flew a great breath of Fire at Albanion, who was taken by surprise. Albanion tucked and rolled, dodging out of harm's was as the Red dragon continued charging forewards and nearly rammed into him. The Dark Grey dragon was set on fire, but the flames slowly died out, leaving no trace that they ever existed.

This is why he wore the Dark grey robes; they protected him from most magical attacks.

As that attack happened, Seraph roared in rage. Realizing what was about to happen, Elza quickly ducked, Seraph's talons flying past inches over the Wind dragoness's head and scratching a few strands of hair from the Dark Green dragoness's scalp. Elza ignored the slight pain and dove for Rune, standing directly over him to protect him any incoming attacks. Seraph quickly spun around to come to a landing, and the two dragonesses snarled at each other.

Meanwhile, Jules and Voden fired their Lightning and Fire breaths at Aegis. The Dark Brown dodged out of the way, and glared at them as they flew past, his eyes glowing a Deep Pink. The Orange dragon then suddenly flew sideways and crashed into Jules. As the two Light dragons fell to the ground, Albanion had gottten back onto his feet and ran over to defend Elza on one side. Aegis did the same on the opposite side.

The three Deep Shadows stood their ground, snarling at the four Guardians, who had now all returned to their feet and began circling the Dark Dragons. Voden, Jules and Aegis merely glared, while Hontus, Seraph, Albanion and Elza showed their true rage.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Albanion bellowed.

"GIVE US BACK OUR SON!" Hontus snapped back.

"WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU **TALKING** ABOUT?" Elza shouted. "WE DON'T HAVE YOUR SON!"

"LIES!" Seraph screamed. "WE SAW HIM JUST NOW!"

"YOU THINK RUNE IS YOUR SON?" The Green dragoness screamed as loudly. "YOU'RE MAD!"

"RELEASE HIM!" The Fire Guardian shouted.

"WE WOULD DIE BEFORE SURRENDERING HIM TO **YOU**!" The Dark Grey dragon snarled.

His rage escaping him, Hontus fired a great burst of Flames at the Deep Shadows.

Elza turned and fired a blast of Wind breath at the approaching fire, blowing it back at Hontus. As the Red dragon shielded himself from his own attack, Seraph jumped at Elza, intending to slash at her neck. Aegis created a wall of psycic energy in front of the Dark Green dragoness, which Seraph collided with.

While the Memory dragon's back was turned, Voden tried to tackled Aegis, while Jules tried blasting the Dark Brown dragon with Lightning breath. Before either one of them could do so, Albanion activated his Flora element.

A pair of white trees burst into existence before the two Guardians, the branches wrapping around their ankles and snouts, and pinning them down to the ground. However, Hontus quickly ran over and set the trees on fire, destroying them and freeings comrades.

Meanwhile, Aegis had taken over protecting Rune while Albanion and Elza were ganging up on Seraph. The Flora dagon was trying to imprison the Water dragoness with another tree, but she kept freezing them with Ice breath as they burst out of the ground and smashed the fragile stumps with her forepaws. Elza was trying to use her Wind breath to blow Seraph out of the air, with little success.

Soon, however, Hontus, Voden and Jules were fast approaching Aegis. When Elza saw the advancing Guadians, she quickly stopped pursuing Seraph and flew to Aegis's aid. The three Light dragons fired their Elemental Breaths all at once upon the Dark Brown dargon, but he summoned another psychic wall to protect himself and Rune in the nick of time. The Wind dragon then fired her own elemental breath upon the Guardians when they couldn't block the attack, and they were all blown to the ground.

After this, Seraph flew up to Elza from behind and blasted her with Ice breath, freezing her wings. As the Wind dragoness fell to the ground, Hontus and Albanion both turned and charged at the two dragonesses.

As the seven dragons continued to battle each other, Rune lay on the ground, too scared to speak. All around him were the sounds of clawing, roaring, and the explosion of Magic going in and out of existence repeatedly. This sounded all too familiar. It was the same sounds he heard when The Hive was attacked. He would never forget that night…

...

It was five years ago. The young cub ran through the streets of the city.

Fear had driven him to flee. All around him were the sounds of Dark dragons and Darkstalkers killing each other. All of the buildings had either been destroyed, or were burning down in the ever-lasting Green Flames that the Darkstalkers had produced. On occasion, Rune would find himself rushing past the fallen and brutally mutilated corpse of another dragon.

This was _his_ fault. It was _he_ who revealed he was a Dark dragon to those men. _He _revealed the existence of The Hive. His parents had told him to _never_ tell anyone. But he did. And now, he could hear the screams of many dragons as they died because of his mistake.

Urobos had ordered the civilians to escape out of the emergency tunnels built into the lower sections of the city. His father and brother had left with the Deep Shadows and most of the still-living citizens, but Urobos and his mother Elenar had stayed behind. Rune wasn't sure why they didn't leave yet, so he went to find them.

The young cub had made it to Hive Palace. He ran straight to the great throne he ran inside, he saw Urobos and Elenar standing before the throne, arguing about something.

"Grandpa! Momma!" Rune called out, running up to them. The two adults were shocked to see him.

"Rune? What are doing here?" Elenar exclaimed.

"I came to find you." The young cub asnwered. "Why haven't you left yet?"

"You shouldn't have come back, Rune!" Urobos said, glaring. "It's not safe here!"

Suddenly, the Throne Room's doors were forced open. A group of Darkstalkers had managed to burst in.

The Darkstalkers were dressed entirely in Golden armor. Nearly every inch of their hides shined like a star, even in the dim light of the Throne room.

"Three more in here!" One of them shouted.

Rune was horrified. Part of him wanted to run away, yet his feet were practically frozen to the floor.

Thinking quickly, Urobos grabbed the cub by the gruff of his neck and handed him to Elenar.

"Flee, Elenar!" He exclaimed. "I'll hold them off here!"

"But Urobos-!"

"GO!"

Without another word, The Dark Grey dragoness fled the room through a door on the side as Urobos charged into battle against the Darkstalkers, Rune clasped between her teeth. There was a great explosion of Fire magic coming from behind them. Rune could hear his mother's heart racing as she fled the building.

When Elenar made it back outside, she tried to take flight to leave the city. Unfortunately, one of the many Darkstalkers had somehow managed to spot her in her haste. The dragon fired a jolt of Lightning breath at the dragoness.

She tried to dodge it, but one of her wings was hit, taking severe damage and crippling her. Elenar fell to the ground, wrapping her forelegs around Rune to protect him. The Queen violently crashed into the middle of the street. writhing in agony. She used her Pain element to null the pain she felt within her, and stood on her feet.

All around her, an army of Darkstalkers began surrounded her on all sides, getting closer and closer with every moment. Rune was sheltered underneath the dragoness's body.

"I'm scared, Momma." Rune said, shaking.

"Be calm, Rune", Elenar said to him, trying to be reassuring. "Everything will be fine."

But Rune could tell Elenar was afraid as well.

The Darkstalkers got closer, preparing to unleash their elemental magic on them. Rune curled up in a ball and closed his eyes. He believed he was about to die.

But then, something strange happened. Elenar started to glow bright red. Rune could hear what sounded like Magic charging up. Elenar then knelt down, covering the cub completely with her body.

"Momma?" Rune asked, confused. "What's happening?"

But Elenar didn't say anything. Instead, she only continued to glow brighter, and the sound of Magic charging grew larger.

And then came the explosion.

Everything in the entire world glowed Blood Red. All of the Darkstalkers screamed in agony. A strange sensation overcame Rune. He lost feeling in his entire body. Then, the whole world turned white. And then, the white faded to black, as the cub slipped away int unconsciousness.

When Rune woke up, it was morning.

The Hive had crashed into the world below. Elenar was still on top of him. He squeezed out from under her and looked around. Everywhere he looked, Rune saw hideously mangled chunks of metal and wood that used to be part of the city. Massive portion of the wreckage were still burning with Great Green Flames. There were dead bodies of Darkstalkers and civilians alike lying about in the wreckage. Some were complete, while others were torn apart, and others still were partially burned to ashes.

By shear chance, the only part of the ground that wasn't destroyed was a small circle of asphalt that he and Elenar were laying on.

"The city's nothing but a wreck, Momma." Rune said.

He expected a response, but here was only silence.

"Momma?" He asked. Still nothing.

The young cub turned around, and he gasped in horror.

Elenar looked completely unharmed, but she wasn't moving.

"Wake up, Momma" Rune said, shaking her side.

No response came. Her body was as cold as ice.

"Wake up" He said again, shaking harder. It was in vain.

Rune started to cry.

"Please, wake up…" He pleaded. Elenar just laid lifeless before him. "Please….."

Rune sat before his mother's body, crying a river of tears.

"This is _my_ fault." He said, sobbing. Not wanting to look at his mother's body any longer, the cub got up and ran off, trying to find his way out of the remains of The Hive. He cried and blamed himself the whole time.

"What have I done?" He asked himself. "They're dead. They're all dead. Even Momma's gone. And it's all my fault. MY FAULT!"

...

"…my fault." Rune repeated to himself, crying.

He still couldn't move his limbs; Aegis's spell still held hold on him. However, The Memory dragon was no longer standing over him; he had re-entered the fight.

Rune looked around. The seven dragons were locked heavily in combat a short distance away. The young dragon was now completely exposed in the center.

_You need to get away from here, young dragon_, the Chronicler said.

"But how? I can't move."

_Use your Space element to teleport yourself._

"I don't know where to teleport to."

_Head north, young dragon. You will have to intercept your brother when he arrives there._

"How will I know when he does?"

_Fate works in mysterious ways. You will not have long to wait._

"If you say so..."

Closing his eyes, Rune channeled energy around his body. He then created a patch of Dark energy underneath himself, and sank into it. He felt like he was falling through an abyss. The bonds around him disappeared. He then slipped into unconsciousness once again.

He would not wake up until the next morning….


	17. Act 2, Chapter 6

Act 2, Chapter 6

Wraith led Cyrus, Blank, Nellie and Emerald to the safehouse. Lilith had flown back a little while earlier after being unable to find the prince on her own.

Once the five dragons arrived, The Light dragons were introduced to the adult dragones and her daughter. Tina had fallen asleep on a cushion in one pile of the room. The other dragons sat down and started explaining their stories. Cyrus went first.

"Do you see these symbols on me?"

"Yeah?" The trio said.

"They're kinda hard to miss." Blank added. The Black dragon gave him an annoyed look.

"Well, they're Royal birthmarks." He stated. "I'm the prince of the Dark dragon Monarchy. Rune is my brother. Our parents are King Bane and Queen Elenar. For a long while, we lived in a place called The Hive."

"The Hive?" Emerald asked.

"Yeah. It was a place for Dark dragons to stay after the Twilight war ended. Anyway, Rune and I grew up in The Hive for about seven years. Then, about five years ago, a group of dragons known as the Darkstalkers attacked us. The Darkstalkers were a group of Light dragons that harbored a deep-seatrf hatred for the Dark dragon race. So, they attacked The Hive and killed nearly all of the Dark dragons, including my grandfather, King Urobos, my mother, and my brother."

"Did you say five years ago?" Nellie asked.

"Yeah, five years. Why?"

"That's the same time our parents found Rune almost dead in the Arcus Desert!" Blank exclaimed. "After that, they adopted him into our family."

"So Rune survived!" Cyrus turned to Wraith and Lilith. "Can you guys believe that?"

"Actually, your highness, you're kind of the last person to find out." Lilith said.

"Huh?"

"Albanion had contacted us and told us he and his group discovered Rune alive and well earlier this week." Wraith stated. "We meant to tell you sooner."

"Did you say 'Albanion'?" Blank asked.

"Um, yes, I did. Why?"

"That's the name of one of the Dark dragons who kidnapped Rune."

"Kidnapped?" Lilitha asked, confused.

The Orange dragon became enraged.

"Albanion's one of your friends?" Nellie demanded.

The Dark Red dragon ran a paw through his mane.

"Well, yeah, sorta-kinda." He answered "But me explain a few things."

Wraith started counting talons off his paw.

"One: I wouldn't call Albanion a friend, so much as my boss. He's the leader of the Deep Shadows, a group of powerful Dark dragons who serve King Bane. Two: Albanion and his two cronies, Aegis and Elza, didn't _kidnap_ Rune; when they found him, he ran away when they tried to talk to him. And Three: The reason they were in Glenhaven in the _first _place was to find prince Cyrus."

"Why?" Emerald queried.

The Prince shrugged.

"Well, about a month or so ago, I ran away from home."

"Why would you do that?" Nellie asked.

"Well, let me explain a bit about my dad." The Black dragon stated. "As Rune and I were growing up, we didn't see much of him. But when we were able to spend time with him, he had always been a kind, good-natured dragon. But when The Hive was destroyed, and Dad suddenly found himself in charge of the Dark dragon race all on his own, he started to change. For the next five years, Dad was completely distant from just about everyone. Nothing I or anyone else did ever seemed to hold his attention. It got to a point where he wouldn't even speak to me sometimes."

"Oh Cyrus..." Lilith commented.

"I had always believed it was because he missed the rest of our family, but recently, I found out that he was actually becoming completely obsessed with one thing: Revenge."

"Revenge?" The Blue dragoness queried.

"You see, while most Dark dragons prefer to avoid Light dragons, we know that only the Darkstalkers wanted to kill us, and they were just a cult. But Dad started blaming _all_ Light dragons for what happened to The Hive. And then, he started blaming them for starting the Twilight War. It wasn't long before he started to believe that Light dragons were the reason for all of the world's problems. When he learned about the upcoming Night of Eternal Darkness, he started forming a plan to destroy the Light dragon race forever."

"What's the 'Night of Eternal Darkness'?" Blank asked.

Lilith started speaking.

"The Night of Eternal Darkness is an event during which the planet's Twin Moons create a great lunar eclipse. During this Eclipse, the entire world is locked in nighttime for a period of 168 hours, and the power of Light Dragons is greatly reduced to near nothing, while the power of Dark Dragons is multiplied to incredible levels."

Cyrus nodded in agreement.

"Right. When Dad learned of this, he began to make preparations to take over Warfang."

"How does having control over Warfang help him eliminate Light Dragons?" Emerald inquired.

"Conquering Warfang was only a small step towards my Dad's true goal. Recently, he discovered a way to use him magic to create a spell never seen before: He can transform a Light Dragon into a Dark Dragon."

The trio was shocked.

"Are you serious?" Blank exclaimed.

"Uh huh. When he first created the spell, he tested it on a Dragon named Aegis, Lilith's husband. It worked perfectly. Dad soon found that the spell worked on dragons of all ages, even unhatched eggs. He only had one problem; If a Light dragon came into contact with the transformed Dark dragon or egg within a one-week time period, the spell would be undone, and the dragon or egg would be a LIght one again.

"After this, howerver, Dad learned about how the Night of Eternal Darkness will make him temporarily more powerful, thus enabling him to make the spell permanent without a time limit."

"So, when the Eclipse comes, your dad is going to turn every Light Dragon in the world into a Dark dragon?" Nellie asked.

"There's more to it. He plans on killing all of the teenaged and adult Light dragons first. His reasoning is that, while children can be easily influenced, adults and young adults have a stronger will, and could oppose him. The eggs, on the other hand, are perfect for him. Once they hatch, they'll be raised without ever having the knowledge that Light dragons ever existed."

"That's deplorable!" Emerald exclaimed.

"Don't think that all Dark dragons share Bane's world view", Wraith said sternly. "There are a decent number of Dark dragons who completely object to King Bane's plan. The four of us are a prime example, as is Albanion."

"Let _me_ tell the story, Wraith!" Cyrus protested. The Crimson dragon rolled his eyes, while Cyrus continued.

"Anyway, I had tried to convince Dad to forget about this plan, but he wouldn't listen to me. So, I tried to find a dragon that he _would_ Listen to. Wraith and Lilith couldn't do it, and Albanion refused to even try. That's when I found out about a place called 'the Pit of the Fallen'. I then got an idea; bring my mother Elenar back to life."

The three Light dragons gave the Black one a of utter surprise.

"There's a way to raise the dead?" Blank asked.

"That's not possible!" Emerald snapped.

"Yeah. My Mom was the one dragon that my Dad would always obey. If I can bring her back, then she can convince him to forget about his plan to eliminate the Light dragons! So, one night, I snuck out of The Nexus, that's the great big fortress you saw above Warfang, and flew north to resurrect my Mom. When I got there, I was found by Wraith, Lilith and Tina. I explained what I was up to, and they agreed to help me."

"Raising the dead can't possible be doable!" Emerald said incredulously.

"Ye it is!" Cyrus snapped.

"How do you do it, then?" The Green dragoness demanded.

The Black dragon reached into his satchel and pulled a out small piece of paper covered in various bits of writing.

"I found the information on the spell hidden away in the oldest section of the Library in the city of Faeshrine." He stated. "It's not an easy ritual. See, first it requires me to travel to the Pit of the Fallen, which I did immediately after finding the information. Second, I need to gather a huge amount of Green and Red Gems to the center of the Pit. Again, no problems there, since Mount Erebus is chock-full of Gems."

"Sounds pretty easy to me." Blank commented.

"Well, the Third step is the hardest one. In order to actually _begin_ the ritual, I need to have all Twelve of the elements. **That's** where I ran into trouble."

"How come?" Nellie wondered. "You're a Black dragon, right? can't you wield all twelve elements on your own?"

"Not quite." Cyrus said solemnly. "I'm only able to wield Six of them. Black dragons can't wield the full cycle until they reach the end of puberty, and that's years away for me. Years that I don't have if I want to put a stop to my Dad's plans of genocide."

"Oh..." The Blue dragoness frowned.

"After we learned about the Prince's plans," Wraith replied, "We all all decided to help him out."

"Currently, we only need three more elements: Fire, Earth and Water." Lilith added.

The Light dragons looked amongst themselves.

"Those are _our_ Elements!" Blank exclaimed. "You know girls, we could…"

Emerald held a paw up.

"Hold on, Blank!" She scolded. "Are you suggesting we drop everything and help these people?"

"Why not?" The Orange dragon queried.

"Because we're currently looking for Rune, remember?" Nellie exclaimed.

"Oh, come on, girls! We'd be bringing Rune's Blood Mother back to life!"

"Well... that _does_ seem like a good point..." The Blue dragoness stated. "Plus we'd also be helping to save the Light Dragon race."

Emerald cocked an eye at her.

"How do we even know if they're telling the truth?"

Cyrus was irritated by this statement.

"You think I'm lying?" He shouted. "Look out that window! The Nexus is floating above Warfang! There's not a single teenager or Adult Light dragon alive here! My Dad's plan is almost complete! Why would I lie?"

The Black dragon glared at the Green one, panting.

"Prince Cyrus, calm down" Lilith scolded. "That's no way to ask them to help us."

"But, she..."

"Why are you so judgmental, Emmy?" Blank asked. "I'm more than happy to help them."

"Same here", Nellie added. Emerald rolled her eyes, sighing.

"Oh Alright, I'll help too."

"Great! Thanks." Cyrus said.

"No problem, Cyrus." Blank replied, grinning.

"Call me Edge." He responded.

"Um, why?"

"It's the nickname I've been using since I ran away from home."

Wraith sighed in contempt.

"Whatastupidnickname.." He mumbled.

"So, when do we leave for the Pit of the Fallen?" Emerald asked.

"Well, since we've got all twelve elements now, we can leave tomorrow morning." Lilith answered.

"Well, as long as we're long gone before our Dad shows up." Blank said.

"Your Dad?" Wraith asked.

"Yeah, the three of us kinda ran away ourselves. We were planning on saving Rune from that Albanion guy and his 'cronies', as you called them." Wraith smirked.

"Definitely cronies. Although, I'd actually say that Elza is more like Albanion's bi-"

Lilith smacked the Dark Red dragon across the face.

"Ow! Mut wuz zat vor?" Wraith asked, rubbing his face.

"Watch you tongue!" The adult dragoness scowled. "We're in front of children."

Cyrus and Blank chuckled. They both knew what Wraith was about to say.

After a moment, Wraith continued.

"Sheesh. Anyway, in all seriousness, we know that Albanion's ensemble doesn't have Rune. And if they did, they certainly wouldn't kidnap the boy. Alby used to be King Bane's best friend. I doubt he'd want to even lay a talon on the boy. Also, we really _should_ get out of Warfang before your father arrives. He probably won't understand our actual intentions."

"Exactly", Nellie said.

Later that night, Wraith and Lilith set up cushions for the four young dragons to sleep on over by the the far wall of the safehouse. Once everyone else was asleep, Blank turned to Nellie and whispered to her.

"Hey, Sis."

"Yes, Blank?" She whispered back.

"I think I finally get why Rune never talked about his past."

The Blue dragoness nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, times must've been hard on him. Poor Rune, he lost his home and part of his family when he was only a cub."

"What I don't get is; Why would he travel so far south? And _how_ did he do it? I mean, he was only, like, seven at the time, right?"

Nellie thought about it for a minute, becoming more and more curious.

"Maybe we can ask him what happened. When we find him, that is."

Blank rolled over, stared up at the ceiling, and sighed.

"Wherever he is, I hope he's okay."

...

The seven dragons continued their battle.

They all had become lost in rage, completely unaware that the reason they were fighting had just disappeared under their snouts. Not too long later, most of the dragons were covered in various bleeding wounds.

They had all become too tired to continue fighting, except for two: Elza and Seraph.

The two dragonesses stood across from each other, breathing heavily through their snarls. Seraph was charging the last reserves of her magic for a powerful Ice attack, while Elza was perparing an elemental strike of her own.

"I won't let you take Rune, you Blue-hided She-beast!" The Dark Green dragoness roared.

"I'll take him by force, then, you Air-headed WHORE!" The Water dragoness snapped.

The two dragonesses charged forewards, readying their magic for two simultaneous killing blows.

But right before either dragoness could unleash their attacks, an Aged dragon appeared in between them in a blast of black smoke. The old dragon stood sideways with his forelegs stretched, grabbing ahold of both dragonesses' snouts, preventing them from unleashing their Magic.

It was Old Man.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!" He bellowed, a scowl on his face.

All of the other dragons were shocked and alarmed.

"Old Man?" Voden and Jules proclaimed, with looks of incredulousness.

Elza and Seraph felt their rage melt away, and the aged dragon let go of their mouths.. Old Man glanced around, glaring at the four Guardians.

"Shame on you! Jumping headfirst into battle without thinking! Did you just ignore my warning outright?"

The aged dragon turned and glared at the three Deep Shadows as well.

"And YOU! You should have stayed calm, and reasoned with them. Instead, you blindly flew into rage and attacked!"

"_They_ attacked _us_ first!" Elza protested.

The Dark Green dragoness started to get enraged again, but the sight of Old Man's powerful glare made her anger retreat.

"Fools, the entire lot of you! While you were busy trying to end each other's lives, Rune fled to who knows where! LOOK!"

Old Man pointed to the spot where Aegis had left Rune.

The Guardians and Deep Shadows gasped when they saw that the young dragon was nowhere to be found.

"Impossible!" The Dark Brown dragon exclaimed. "I had bound Rune in place! How could he flee?"

"You _bound_ him?" Hontus snarled.

"There's no time to start the battle allover again!" Old Man shouted.

"Who are you, old one?" Albanion queried.

"I'm you're superior, Albanion."

"How do know my name?"

"Can you not recognize me?" Old Man asked, a serious look on his wrinkled face. "I am-"

But before the aged dragon could finish, a gigantic ring of darkness surrounded the eight dragons. To their surprise, scores of Crepsculi climbed out of the darkness and immediately started to attack.

"Crepsculi!" Aegis shouted.

"More of those creatures?" Jules asked.

"We'll talk later. Now, we FIGHT!" Old Man exclaimed.

After talking, the Purple dragon fired a great blast of Earth at several approaching crepsculi. The other dragons followed suit.

Thee eight dragons flew to two separate sides of the battlefield: The four guardians fighting on one side, and Old Man and the Deep Shadows on the other.

On one side of the battlefield, Hontus burned several crepsculi to a crisp, with Seraph freezing other ones. Jules then electrocuted the frozen crepsculi, causing them to explode into dark energy. Voden tore some of the other frozen crepsculi apart with his talons.

As this took place, Old Man and the Deep Shadows defeated their foes using other methods. Aegis used his Psychic abilities to lift multiple crepsculi in place in the air. Albanion and Elza tore through them with their teeth and talons. Albanion had expected to have to aid the old one, but to his surprise, Old Man was more than capable on his own. He was using his Earth Breath to incredible effect, destroying crepsculi on his own almost faster than the Deep Shadows could keep up.

_There is more to this man than he lets on_, Albanion thought to himself.

"Who summoned these damn things?" Elza exclaimed while tearing some Crepsculi to pieces.

"An imposter!" Old Man answered, tearing away a crepsculus that was grabbing his robe in its teeth.

"What do you mean?" Aegis asked.

"I have no time to explain it now!"

Soon, all of the Crepsculi were dead. The younger dragons started sighing in relief or sitting down to rest, but Old Man was still standing, ready to leap into battle once again.

"What is the matter, Old Man?" Voden asked.

"This isn't over", He answered.

"He's right", Aegis said, getting on guard. "The battle has only begun."

The Ground began to shake on all sides. Seraph and Aegis were knocked to their feet. All of the dead crepsculi started to flow together, creating a gigantic, monsterous beast: A Crep-gigas. But it wasn't just one.

There were _five._

The eight dragons found themselves surrounded as the Crep-gigasi roared, about to attack. Old Man looked up to the sky, as if expecting something.

"When will he arrive?" Old Man asked himself.

"Who?" Albanion asked.

"A friend of mine. He should have arrived by now, but no matter."

The Purple dragon spread his wings and levitated into the air, to the amazement of the others.

"Enough dawdling! We must strike them down!"

The dragons sprang into action against the Crep-gigasi.

Unlike the last phase of the battle, the seven younger dragons found themselves forced to fight in close proximity to each other. For several minutes, blasts of multiple elements zipped through the air, striking left and right.

At one point, Hontus flew towards one Crep-gigas's face, intending to slash at its eyes. Unfortunately, Albanion had gotten the same idea, and was flying just as fast. The two dragons ended up colliding violently with each other, and plummeted back to the ground. The Flora dragon had ended up crashing onto the Fire Guardian's back.

"Watch where you're flying, you imbecile!" Albanion exclaimed, getting onto his feet.

"_You_ flew into _me_!" Hontus protested.

Before the argument could continue, The Crep-gigas that they had tried to attack brought a giant foreclaw downwards, trying to crush them. The two dragons dodged out of the way, but Hontus was scratched along his side by a small talon during his haste. He howled in pain.

"That's what you get, fool!" Albanion scolded.

While the Dark Grey dragon was distracted, the Crep-gigas's other foreclaw came swinging up to him from behind. The Flora dragon snarled in pain and alarm as he was send toppling across the ground.

Meanwhile, when Seraph fired beams of Ice breath at another Crep-gigas, she allowed one of the beams to pass dangerously close to Elza's head, who was in the air firing Wind breath at the beast. When the Ice beam passed her by,the Dark Green dragoness gasped, losing her concentration. While shewas distracted, the Crep-gigas grabbed her and tossed her violently to the ground beside Seraph.

"You asinine buffoon!" Elza screamed, groaning as she got up. "You nearly killed me!"

"Only _nearly?_ That's a shame." Seraph responded, glaring.

The Wind dragoness snarled angrily, while Seraph reciprocated the action.

"Will you two stop arguing?" Old Man shouted. "This is neither the time nor the place!"

The only dragons that got along, or rather, got on each other's nerves the least, were Voden, Jules and Aegis. The three were flying around a third Crep-gigas, clawing at the beast's face. Jules saw that Aegis was about to fly into the path of one of the beast's arms.

"Don't go _that_ way!" Jules called to him.

"I'll fly where I damn please!" Aegis snapped, continuing on his way.

He flew into the ill-fated path, and the monster smacked him to the ground. When it brought a foreleg down to crush the Dark Brown dragon, Voden flew pulled and pulled Aegis away in the nick of time.

"…Thank you", The Memory dragon said grudgingly, getting back up.

"Your welcome." Voden responded, equally unwillingly.

The two then resumed the fight, not saying a word to each other.

As the fighting continued, the dragons were starting to lose ground. The Crep-gigasi were slowly closing the gap.

During this time, Albanion and Seraph both made an attempt to fly at a Crep-gigas's face. Albanion saw Seraph flying near him, and, enraged that he was about to be collided with **again**, slowed down a little, stopping in the air as the Water dragoness flew near him. He then balled a forepaw into a fist, swung his foreleg around to his side, and punched Seraph square in the face before she could slow down.

Hontus saw the whole thing.

"Seraph!"

As the Water dragoness yelped and flew wildly out of course, the Red Guardian flew to her aid, catching her just before she crashed into the ground. When she had come to a stop, Hontus set her down.

"Are you alight, love?" He asked worriedly. Seraph rubbed her face, groaning.

"...I'm fine, Hontus."

Albanion had left a nasty red mark across the left side of Seraph's face. Hontus looked up at Albanion and snarled.

"I saw that, you bastard!" He exclaimed angrily.

"Tell your hag to stay out of my way." Albanion said coldly, continuing in the battle.

"You son of a bitch!" The Red dragon bellowed.

He let go of Seraph and charged into the air, unleashing his Fire breath.

"I'll teach you to respect a lady, you masher!"

The Dark Grey dragon saw Hontus coming, and stood in the air, waiting for the Fire Guardian to get close enough. When the window of opportunity opened, Albanion quickly flew underneath Hontus, and before he could react, The Flora dragon rose a forepaw upwards in the air and sliced across Hontus's underbelly with his talons.

The Fire dragon roared in pain as he fell to the ground, bleeding heavily. Seraph and the other two guardians cried out in horror. Albanion just stayed where he was in the air, glaring with disapproval.

"Let that be a lesson to you, Light Dragon." He said.

Albanion had forgotten about the Crep-gigas that was about to attack him. The beast slashed at Albanion's wings, cutting great big holes in the membrane. The Dark Grey dragon toppled out of the air and violently crashed into the ground. Ironically enough, he landed right beside the weakened Hontus.

The two bleeding dragons glared into each other's eyes, barely able to move in their extreme pain. Their blood pooled around them.

Elza and Seraph ran up to their respective mates. Both dragonesses were on the verge of tears, but while Seraph let her tears flow, Elza held them back.

"Hontus!" Seraph cried out.

"Oh, Albanion…." Elza said sadly.

"Don't worry about me!", Hontus cried out. "Go, fight on!"

Meanwhile, Albanion looked Elza in the eyes.

"I am weakened, but I'm not dead." Albanion stated. "Continue the battle!"

Seraph and Elza then glanced at each other, and bared their teeth.

"This is _YOUR_ fault!" They screamed simultaneously.

"If you fools hadn't attacked us, this never would have happened!" Elza exclaimed.

"Wrong!" Seraph snapped. "If you three Dark bastards hadn't kidnapped our son, none of us would be here!"

"Kidnap him? We did not kidnap Rune!"

"Liar!"

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Old Man screamed in rage. "We need to be fighting _alongside_ each other, not _against_ each other!"

As the Crep-gigasi closed the area in which the dragons fought even more, Old Man threw up his forelegs in defeat.

"You four have doomed us all with your ignorance! Rune is doomed because of you!"

And then, it happened.

Something hidden in shadow flew across the sky, and rammed right into on of the Crep-gigasi, knocking it onto the ground. The beast created a small earthquake in its wake, stunning the other Crep-gigasi. The figure flew into the moonlight at one point, its shape being revealed to be a dragon on unknown origin.

The shadowed dragon proceeded to knock the other Crep-gigasi to the ground as well. The Guardians and Deep Shadows had to struggle to remain on their feet as the earth violently shook beneath them. Old Man smirked as the shadowed dragon came to a landing beside him.

"It's about time you showed up", Old Man said. The dragon's voice sounded strange, almost otherworldly, and yet still grouned in the living world.

"I flew over to meet you as soon as Ignitus told me you found the boy." The dragon replied. "Forgive me, these Outskirts are larger than they appear."

"Well, not that you've arrived, would you care to lend me a paw?" Old Man asked.

"Of course."

Old Man and the shadowed dragon than stood in place, beginning to charge up Magical energy. The Deep Shadows and Guardians watched as the Crep-gigasi proceeded to climb back onto their feet.

"What are you two doing?" Jules asked them.

"Take cover!" Old Man shouted to them without looking back at them.

The five dragons and two wounded ones did as they were told as the Old Man and his companion started glowing completely white.

Four orbs came into existed and orbited Old Man's body. Each orb seemed to represent an element: One orb was completely on Fire, One was charged with Electricity, One seemed to be made of Water, One was green in color and shook as if in an Earthquake. There were two other orbs that rotated vertically instead of horizontally: One orb was white with an Hourglass in the middle, and the other one glowed bright pink, and was made of energy that twirled around like a twister. The other dragon had six of these orbs as well.

As the two dragons' energy seemed to reach their zenith, the elemental orbs orbited them faster and faster, until they immediately flew into each dragon. There was then a great double-explosion: Both dragons' built up energy exploded into a great amount of White Energy, which glowed like the sun. The other dragons had to shield their eyes as the energy engulfed the entire area.

As the Energy struck the Crep-gigasi, they writhed wildly and shrieked in agony. And then, moments later, they beasts faded away into darkness, and then into nothingness.

The Crep-gigasi were no more.

Once the threat was finally dealt with, Old Man and the other dragon turned around and walked to the group. Old Man seemed to be greatly weakened, taking slow steps and breathing slow but deep breaths. But the other dragon seemed completely fine.

"Thank you", Old Man said to the dragon. "I don't know what I would have done without your aid."

"Don't trouble yourself worrying about it. It is my job to keep you alive." The other dragon said.

"Yes. I know. Although…" Old Man glanced at the group, suddenly growing angered. "If these imbeciles had not wasted their time fighting like hatchlings over a mouse, I probably would not have needed your aid!"

"Old Man, these dragons are the three kidnappers we told you about before!" Hontus shouted. He groaned as Seraph used her Water magic to heal his wound.

"We are not kidnappers!" Albanion shouted as Aegis tended to the large slashes in his wings.

"That's right!" Elza added. "The idea that we would kidnap prince Rune is completely foolhardy!"

"_Prince_ Rune?" Jules said, confused.

"All of you, silence!" Old Man shouted.

"Please calm yourselves", the other dragon added. "The two of us can explain everything to all of you. All that I ask is that you come with us, and refrain from fighting each other."

"Who are you, stranger?" Hontus asked. The dragon seemed to chuckle, but it was hard to tell in the darkness of the night.

"It isn't every day when there's a dragon who has **not** heard of me."

"Shall we show them?" Old Man asked.

"Yes. And you should remove your disguise as well. If we want them to help us, there should be no more secrets."

Old Man nodded, and turned the group.

"Give us one moment. I need to create a campfire so you can all see."

The first thing Old Man did was wave his paw over the ground. A small tree appeared next to him.

"Flora magic?" Elza asked.

Old Man and the dragon tore branches off of the tree and tossed them in a pile. Once that was done, the shadowed dragon blasted the pile with Fire Breath, while Old Man held out his paw before him.

Both the Deep Shadows and the Guardians gasped, but for different reasons.

As the fire illuminated the area, Old Man drew a great amount of Dark Energy off of his body. He had been wearing a Shroud of Darkness all along. His beard turned white, his horns became fixed and turned golden. A Blue Glyph shaped like an Hourglass shined on each one of his upper forelegs.

And his hide was as Black as the Night itself. Meanwhile, the group finally got a good look at the other dragon.

He was unlike most dragons seen nowadays. He appeared to be around Old Man's age, if a little shorter in stature. His hide was a brilliant bright Purple. His underbelly and horns were a bright Gold, the latter being bent backwards and upwards likr Lightning bolts. He had no mane; instead, a trail of gold spikes started on his head, went down his neck and back, and came to a stop at the tip of his tail. His tail ended with a strange golden spike of some sort. For some reason, his paws had only three talons instead of the usual four, the missing one being the thumb. He had a whole host of scars lining many places of his body, and his Purple eyes had the glance of one who had walked away from countless battles.

"Who are you?" Seraph asked.

"I am the Ex-king Urobos", Old Man finally said. "And this is my ancestor, the Legendary Purple dragon, Spyro."


	18. Act 2, Chapter 7

Act 2, Chapter 7

"Lord Urobos? Alive?" Albanion said, more a statement than a question. "How can this be?"

"It is simple, Albanion", The old Black dragon answered. "I have been revived, though I am a Lord no longer."

Urobos was still breathing heavilly. He was still very tired from that burst of Magic he created to dispatch the Crep-gigasi.

"Spyro? _You_?" Jules said to the Purple one skeptically. "That's ridiculous! The REAL Spyro died hundreds of years ago."

"Technically, your statement is correct", Spyro responded. "However, recent events have required me to Live once again."

"We need you seven to come with us." Urobos said, glancing around. "There are things you need to learn."

"How can we just randomly trust an Imposter and a Black Dragon?" Seraph demanded. "Do you think you can just show up out of nowhere and demand that we trust you?"

"Typical Water dragon behavior", Elza snarled. "You never show respect. Even if the Purple one is an imposter, he helped save our lives! And how **dare** you badmouth Urobos!"

"Shut it, bitch!" Seraph snapped.

Before the two dragonesses could attack each other again, Urobos stepped between them again.

"Please, enough of this! Rune is in grave danger as we speak!"

The two dragonesses gasped at the mention of Rune's name.

"Rune?" Elza asked frantically. "Where is he?"

"And how do you know him?" The Water dragoness asked, glaring. Urobos sighed.

"Seraph, Rune is my grandson. The boy you've raised for five years is, in reality, one of the heirs to the Throne of all Dark dragons."

Hontus looked at the Black dragon with great skeptism. His nasty wound had finally been healed, thanks to Seraph's healing magic, but a scar still ran across this underbelly.

"Rune is Royalty? You're out of your mind."

"Think for a minute, Hontus", Spyro said. "You know little to nothing about Rune's life before you found him, correct?"

"Well, yes." The Red dragon answered.

"And you now know Rune is a dark dragon."

"Yes."

"Well, Rune isn't just any dark dragon. Rune is a _Black_ dragon."

"That's..."

"Impossible? What would make it so?"

"Um..." Hontus scratched at his beard in thought. "Well, I don't know."

"This is a waste of time!" Aegis declared. "Tell us: What danger is Rune in?"

For once, the Deep Shadows and Guardians all nodded in agreement. Urobos and Spyro exchanged glances.

"For you to fully understand Rune's predicament..." Spyro began. "...And why two old dragons who are supposed to be dead still walk among the living, you must come with us. There is someone you should all meet."

The seven dragons glanced at each other.

"These Light dragons can do whatever they wish," Albanion began, "but If you believe it is for the best, Mi'lord, then I will willingly go where you wish to take us."

Elza and Aegis agreed.

"I'll go as well," Hontus said.

"Are you sure about this, Hontus?" Seraph asked.

"They seem to want to help us, Love. We might as well do what they ask for now."

Voden and Jules announced their agreement with Hontus. The Water dragoness sighed.

"Alright, I'll go too."

"Thank you, Seraph." The Black dragon replied, smiling.

"So, where do you wish to take us?" Voden asked the two aged dragons. Urobos turned to Spyro.

"I will require your aid." He said to the Purple one.

"Understood."

Spyro grasped Urobos's front left paw. The younger dragons watched as Red energy flowed out of Spyro and Into The Black dragon. Urobos, in turn, held out his right forepaw and creating an orb of Darkness. The Black dragon then shot the orb onto the ground before him. Th orb's energy swirled around for a short time, and then exploded upwards, creating a great black oval-shaped pool of energy, big enough for an adult dragon to walk through.

The Light dragons flinched in alarm.

"What is that?" Jules demanded. Spyro released Urobos's paw.

"Do not worry." The Purple dragon said reassuringly. "It's merely a portal, nothing more."

"Now, please walk through it, and await us on the other side." Urobos said. "Here, I'll go through first."

The Black dragon walked into the portal, vanishing from view.

"I'm not sure about this." The Blue dragoness said worriedly, clutching Hontus's paw. Elza rolled her eyes.

"Going back on her word. Another key trait of Water dragons."

"Silence, you!" Seraph snapped.

In a huff, the Water dragoness stormed through the portal. Albanion walked fowards to enter the portal next. He brieflly paused by Hontus.

"We shall continue our quarrel at a later time." He said coldly.

"I'll be waiting, you bastard." Hontus snapped.

The Red dragon glared after the Deep Shadow as he vanished from view.

"Where does this portal lead to?" Aegis asked Spyro.

"You will find out soon enough."

One by one, the younger dragons all walked through the portal. Spyro entered it last, the portal disappearing just after he did so.

...

A moment later, Spyro walked into the area where the other dragons were. They were in a great circular chamber.

Various books were piled allover the place on intricate shelves. Several of the books floated weightlessly through the air, as if guided along by some unseen force. The centermost part of the chamber was sunk-in, with a ring of candles around it, some of which were unlit. There were six doors on various sides of the room; one was behind the group of dragons, another one faced opposite it on the other side of the room, and four more were around that door, two on each side. Each of these four doors were locked tight, with two short pillars standing before each one Each door seemed to be aligned with one of four elements: Fire, Water, Electricity, and Earth. The whole room seemed to flow with ancient, Teal-colored magic, and seemed beyond the comprehension of mortal beings.

Urobos was standing before the door on the opposite side of the room, a calm expression on his face. The others had taken to standing around, taking in the odd sights.

"What _is _this place?" Voden asked. "I've never been anywhere so bizarre."

Suddenly, an old voice answered his question.

"You're in a place called The White Isle."

Voden jumped, looking left and right.

"Who said that?"

The door Urobos was standing in front of slowly opened.

"Step inside, all of you." The voice said warmly.

All of the dragons walked through the door into the next chamber. This one was more elaborate than the last. The most obvious thing noticable was the gigantic hourglass-like device in the center of the room. A great variety of books lined the walls and shelves of the room. Intricate symbols dotted the walls.

"What an incredible place this is." Aegis said, his normally serious mood replaced with astonishment. "Who knows what secrets lie in these books?"

"The entire history of the dragon race." The voice said again.

The younger dragons looked at the other side of the chamber, where the voice came from.

A Teal-colored dragon wearing an odd assortment of clothes approached them. The dragon's horns were somewhat lightning-bolt shaped. His hide was covered in various spines, similar to Spyto. A strange, Teal crystal hung around his neck.

Urobos and Spyro walked over to stand next to the strange dragon.

"Who is this?" Albanion asked.

"I am Ignitus," The Teal dragon answered, "though I am also known as The Chronicler."

"The Chronicler?"

"I am the one charged with recording the many trials and errors the dragon race endures throughout the ages. I have done this task for the last five hundred years. And what an eventful five centuries they have been."

"What does this have to do with us?" Hontus queried. "Why bring us here?"

"We have brought you here to ask for your aid, and aid you dragons in return." Urobos answered.

"What do you mean?" Elza asked.

"You all share something in common" Spyro stated. "In the past, you have looked after, and currently worry about, the young dragon named Rune."

The Deep Shadows and the Guardians looked each other over.

"How do you know Rune?" Albanion asked Hontus, staring.

"We've told you before: He's our son." The Red dragon replied. "Five years ago, we found him in the Arcus Desert, brought him to Glenhaven, and then adopted him. But how do _you_ know Rune?"

"When Rune was younger, he lived in a place called The Hive. He was, and still is, the son of our Lord, King Bane. Several of our member, including Elza and I, were assigned to watch after him."

"Really?" Seraph asked.

For a short time, the Deep Shadows and the Guardians recounted tales of looking after Rune. As time went on, the hostility between the two groups withered away.

"It would seem that we have more common ground than either of us first realized", The Dark Grey dragon said to Hontus. "I apologize for my earlier behavior, and the wound I dealt you, Hontus."

The Red dragon smiled.

"No, I should apologize as well. Old Man was right: we shouldn't have jumped into an attack so hastilly."

Elza and Seraph had a harder time apologizing. Out of all the dragons, the two dragonesses were the most hostile of all. They just glared into each other's eyes.

"Don't think for a second that I trust you, Water beast." Elza sneered.

"The feeling is mutual", Seraph sneered back.

"I am glad to see the hate between you all is all but forgotten," Ignitus began, "But I'm afraid we still have much to discuss."

"Right. Where is Rune?" Jules asked.

"Where Rune is this very moment, I do not know, despite my best efforts to scry for him. What we _do_ know, however, is that he's wandering towards the Well of Souls, or the Pit of the Fallen, as modern dragons call it."

"His brother Cyrus is headed there as well." Spyro added.

"Yes, that's right." Aegis said. "He plans on reviving Elenar, possibly so she can stop King Bane from enacting his plans on the approaching Night of Eternal Darkness."

"What plan?" Jules asked.

The Guardians were then told all about Bane's plan to wipe all Light Dragons from existence. When the tale reached its end, Seraph scowled.

"What a monster!" She exclaimed.

Urobos sighed.

"Don't take my son's actions the wrong way." He pleaded. "There's more behind his deeds than you can know."

"What do you mean by that, Old Man?" Hontus asked.

"Let me ask you this, my friends: You all know about the Twilight War, the conflict that ended years ago, am I correct?"

All of the younger dragons nodded in agreement.

"Who could ever forget such a travesty on the Dark Dragon race?" Elza added.

"Good. But do you know how the war started in the first place?" Spyro asked.

The Guardians looked amongst themselves, confused, but Aegis and Albanion looked upon Elza, concern on the male's faces. The Dark Green dragoness stared at the floor.

"Acceptable Losses." She said.

"What?" Voden asked, confused. Elza spoke.

"Acceptable Losses." She said again. "It is a qoute that was said towards my old clan, Clan Aquarius, when we spoke in outrage against the destruction of many of our eggs. The eggs were smashed in a raid by dragons of Clan Pisces."

The Dark Green dragoness pointed a talon at Seraph.

"HER clan."

The Water dragoness stared at Elza.

"You Wind dragons will **never** let that go, will you?"

"Seraph, what are you talking about?" Voden asked.

Ignitus cut in.

"I think it's best if I showed you what they're talking about." He said.

The Teal dragon held a paw towards the Hourglass mechanism. Suddenly, it glowed bright green. Then, the entire chamber glowed bright green: Everything except the ten dragons was glowing far too bright for any of them to see.

And then, the whole chamber turned into a great black abyss. All of the furniture, books and the mechanism vanished from view. Specks of light sped wildly across the room. Some of the dragons grew fearful. Seraph clutched Hontus's paw.

"What is this madness?" Albanion demanded.

"Do not worry." Ignitus said. "I am showing you an event that took place in the city of Warfang, around twenty years ago. Everything you're about to see is an illusion. A reflection of the past."

Soon, the abyss transformed into the interior of a great colesium. Dragons of both Light and Dark origin filled the massive stone stands, shouting and arguing amongst themsleves. The roof of the buidling was exposed, revealing the night sky high up in the heavens. In the center of the colesium sat Twelve dragons upon twelve golden cushions. One for each of the twelve clans.

The ten real dragons stood watch over by a great opening that led out of the Colesium's main chamber and towards a side passage.

"Where are we?" Aegis asked.

"We are in the city of Warfang" Spyro answered. "Specifically, we are in the Warfang Colesium, during the Council of the Monarchs."

"The Council of the Monarchs was an annual meeting held by the current Rulers of each of the Twelve clans of dragons." Urobos added. "It was held so the Ruling families could discuss a wide range of topics, from exchanging territories, to passing new international Laws, to how best to handle trade between clans."

"It was my wife who organized the first Council", The Purple dragon declared.

"The Great Shadow." Elza said. Spyro smiled.

"Yes. She never got used to that nickname." He said, chuckling.

"I believe I'm about to speak", Urobos said.

"No need to be so rude about it, Old Man." Jules scolded.

"No, I referring to my past self."

The Black dragon pointed across the Coliseum to a dragon who was getting up from a cushion that was engraved with a large Hourglass.

The dragon looked a lot like Urobos, only slignificantly younger. His beard and mane were Silver, unattached, and much shorter. He was shorter in stature as well, easilly shorter than at least half of the other Monarchs.

"Settle down, everyone." The past Urobos said to the crowd. They did as he commanded almost instantly. The Black dragon then cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Welcome one and all to the annual Council of the Monarchs. I am King Urobos, of Clan Capricorn. Today, we have a most serious matter to discuss."

"We most certainly do!" A Light Blue dragon declared from his place on a cushion engraved with a Tear, sounding very enraged. Urobos held a paw out to silence the interruptor.

"Please hold thy tongue until you're given your chance to speak, Oceanus."

Seraph gasped when the name was mentioned.

"Father!" She declared.

A few of the other younger dragons gasped.

"Father?" Urobos queried.

"Y.. Yes..." The Water dragoness answered solemnly. "That man is my father, Oceanus."

"But if he is your father..." Aegis stated. "That would mean that you are a..."

"No, it doesn't." Seraph said sadly.

"What?"

"Save this for now, everyone." Ignitus interjected. "The Past Urobos is about to speak again."

The younger Urobos had turned back to face the crowd and continued speaking.

"As you are all aware, a number of rogue dragons stripped of their place in their clans had banded together and began terrorizing dragons of Clan Pisces, commiting a great number of foul deeds ranging from stealing goods and livestock, to outright vandalism of sacred property. Tired of being harassed so often, Clan Pisces tracked the rogue group to a cave in the Mountains of Kilon to the East. The Rogues were caught off-guard and slaughtered.

"However, it would soon turn out that the dragons of clan Pisces sent in the raid had found a great number of dragon eggs in the cave. In their haste, the dragons assumed the eggs belonged to the rogues, and proceeded to smash them all."

Elza started to snarl. The past Urobos continued.

"These eggs did not belong to the rogues. In fact, the cave wasn't owned by the rogues either. They had taken shelter there for the night. No, the cave and the eggs inside belonged to Clan Aquarius."

The dragons in the stands bickered amongst themselves. A Dark Green dragon in a throne engraved with a Cyclone rose a forepaw in the air.

"Permission to speak" He said.

"The floor is open for King Boreas." Urobos declared. Urobos sat down as Boreas stood up. He faced the Blue dragon directly. The Wind King looked calm, but seemed to hide a torrent of fury behind his gaze.

"The people of my clan were using that cave as a hatchery. It was one of several, but was still very vital to us. We told you and your people, King Oceanus, that the slaughter of our eggs was a great outrage to us, and demanded an accounting. But instead, you decided to spit in our faces. You told us they were, and I quote, 'Acceptable Losses.'"

The Blue dragon got up to look the Dark Green one in the eyes.

"We told you before: The destruction of the eggs could not he helped!"

"'Could not be helped'? HOW could it not be helped?" Boreas demanded.

"Those dragons' primary goal was to eliminate the Rogues. They were not given orders to either destroy or avoid any eggs they found."

The Wind King sneered.

"There was no need to destroy those eggs! Don't you realize how many dragons were cheated out of their lives!"

Before Oceanus could say anything else, a Lime Green dragon on a throne engraved with an Inverted Circle stood up and pointed a talon at Boreas.

"You're certainly one to talk!" He exclaimed.

"This doesn't concern you, Gaius!" The Wind King snapped.

"Don't try to weasel away from your own sins. After the last discussion you and Oceanus had, you had the nerve to launch an attack on one of **his** clan's hatcheries, and destroyed several of **his** clan's eggs!"

"Don't you dare try to gang up on Boreas!" A Dark Grey dragoness on the throne engraved with a Lily Flower shouted.

"You Flora dragons always rush to defend the Wind drakes, Persephone!" Oceanus sneered. "You have no backbones!"

"How dare you!"

From then on, the monarchs proceeded to argue back and forth relentlessly, and the crowd started supporting or booing either king.

"This is aweful", Jules said.

"I never imagined Dragons of such class used to argue like this." Aegis said.

"Things only go downhill from here" Ignitus said. Urobos turned around and pointed down the exit hallway.

"Look's who's coming in." He said.

Three young dragons, roughly in their teenage years, were walking into the Colesium. There were two males, colored Purple and Black, respectively, and a Dark Grey female. Albanion and Elza flinched in surprise as the three illusions walked right through them.

"I know who the Black one is!" The Flora dragon declared. "That is Bane in his youth."

"And the Grey one is Elenar", The Wind dragoness added.

It was true: It was Bane and Elenar as young teenagers. Bane's beard had yet to grow, and his mane fell only to his four smaller horns. He had various scars and bruises on his front legs that looked freshly made. He was Bane, and yet he wasn't Bane.

Meanwhile, Elenar looked about the same as she did as an adult, but she lacked th gold bands around her ankles, Instead, she was wearing a red regal cape that fell over her back and tail. She wore a silver Tiara upon her head, held in place by her horns.

The third young dragon was unrecognizable. His underbelly was silver, as were his horns and talons. He had three horns upon his head. The ones on the left and right were like those of a ram's. The third, middle horn was the largest, and curved directly downwards. He had a golden mane, that fell to the tip of his middle horn. His eyes were red, like blood. The young dragon took to wearing a thick Black cloak on his back, and several Black stockings on his four legs.

As young Bane and Elenar walked foward with concerned looks on their faces, the Purple one had a smug grin, a determined gaze fixed upon the arguing dragon Kings.

"Who are they again?" Jules asked.

"The Black dragon is my son Bane." Urobos said. "The grey girl is Elenar, heir to the Aries throne. The Purple one I believe to be Bergan, heir to Clan Libra."

"Why are they here?" Voden asked.

"Back then, it was customary for each Ruler of each clan to bring their repective successors to the Councils." Albanion answered. "That way, all of the heirs could get to know each other and not be like strangers all their lives. Although, the successors usually didn't go to the actual meetings until they rose to their thrones."

As the three young dragons approached the Twelve Rulers, the younger Urobos gave a surprised glance to them. The other Rulers noticed them as well.

"Bane, why are you three here?" The older Black dragon queried.

"I don't understand why you're all arguing like this." Bane said to the Twelve. His voice wasn't nearly as deep as it would later become.

"Both clans have acted wrongly. Because of this anger, dozens of dragons have lost their lives, both born and unborn!"

"Silence, boy!" King Oceanus bellowed.

Bane jumped at the bigger dragon's burst.

"Do you think you have the right to stick you snout where it doesn't belong!"

"That is no way to treat my son, Oceanus." Urobos snapped.

"And besides: Bane is right!", young Elenar added. "Lord Oceanus, you could have at least apologized for the destruction brought upon the eggs."

"Don't get involved in this, Elenar." said a Dark grey Dragoness on the throne engraved with crossed Infinity signs.. It was Queen Eliza, of Clan Aries.

"Just leave."

"But mother, I-"

"Heed your mother's warning." Said a Bright Red Dragon on the throne with a burning Arrohead. This was King Helion, of Clan Sagittrrius. "This is no place for children!"

"The Great Shadow would not be pleased by this squabbel!", Elenar declared. Oceanus scoffed.

"The Great Shadow? You mean that fictional woman that your kind prays to?" He asked condenscendingly. "Nonsense."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Boreas snapped.

"You Dark dragons have wasted hundreds of years praying to a woman that doesn't exist." Oceanus declared. The Wind King snarled.

"You have a lot of nerve saying that!"

"Do I?"

"What about _YOU_, then? You Light dragons sing the praises of a Purple 'Hero'! How do you even know **HE** existed?"

"Of COURSE Spyro existed, you fool!" Helion exclaimed. "It is **Cynder** who is false!"

"You have no right calling The Great Shadow by that name!" Eliza snapped at him.

Bane and Elenar sighed in defeat as almost all of the twelve Rulers fell deep into a great agrument. The dragons in the stands argued as well. The only dragons who held their tongues were Bane, Elenar, Urobos, and Bergan, who just stood there, watching the squabble.

"This is disgusting." Voden said, nodding his head.

"To think, they're debating the existance of the greatest dragons that ever lived." The modern Urobos added.

Spyro sighed.

"While I wouldn't say Cynder and I were the _greatest _dragons that ever lived, we _did_ do a great amount for the dragon race, both of Light and Dark. When we watched this conflict when it happened then, we were disgusted by both sides."

"I remeber when I learned of this arguement from my mother." Seraph said.

"That reminds me." Aegis stated. "How is it you are Oceanus's daughter, and yet aren't living the life of luxury in the Aechos valley the rest of the fragments of Clan Pisces?"

"I'm curious too." Elza said, glaring skeptically at Seraph.

The Blue dragoness sighed. She reached up and revealed her Tear-shaped birthmark to the others.

"I am Oceanus's second daughter, the first one being my elder sister Nymph." She began. "Father had selected Nymph to be his successor long ago, so he never brought me to Warfang."

"That still doesn't explain why you aren't living as a Noble." Albanion stated.

"Well, that's because father..."

"Wait, what is Bergan doing?" Elza asked, pointing a talon at the young purple dragon

"Hmm?"

The other dragons turned to watch what the Wind dragoness pointed out.

Began had walked in between the arguing dragons, standing in the very center of the chamber, and roared as loud as he could.

"SILENCE!"

The sound of his roar filled the ears of every other dragon in the Colesium, including the Ten real dragons. They had to hold their heads in pain.

Once the room was finally quiet, Bergan cleared his throat and began to speak.

"As far as I'm concerned, the existence of Spyro and/or Cynder does not mater here. What _does_ matter is that both Clan Aquarius and Clan Pisces are greatly outraged with each other's actions. Bickering and demanding apologies that won't come is a waste of time. It is clear to me, though I am only a young dragon, is that both Clans need settle their differences in the only way that'll yield results: War."

The Twelve rulers stood speachless, while the dragons in the stands spoke amongst themselves. After a moment, Bergan continued.

"Let us think about it: Aquarius and Pisces are ready to wring each other's necks. If they keep their rage pent up, they wil eventually reach their breaking points and attack each other relentlessly. I say, let them battle each other now, while they still have the senses to think. After a few rounds of fighting, one side is bound to surrender to the other. Once the victor has been announced, the loser will declare fault surrender all of their recouces. It's a simple as that."

"You're mad!" Queen Eliza announced.

"Yes, he's mad." Boreas said. He started to smirk. "A mad genious!"

The Wind dragon turned to face Oceanus, starting to glare.

"Here me now, King Oceaunus of Clan Pisces!: From this moment on, I declare war against you and all your people! We will hunt you down and slaughter you until you lie on your back and admit defeat for the crimes you've commited!"

Oceanus got up and glared angrilly into the Dark Green dagon's eyes.

"No, Boreas, it you **YOU** who will admit defeat!"

Urobos got up as well.

"My friends, please! You're being rash about this!"

Boreas and Oceanus glared at the Black-hided King.

"Stay out of this!" They both yelled.

Urobos stared back at them.

"..Fine, have your war. But know this: Clan Capricorn will have no part in it."

"Nor will Clan Aries.", Queen Eliza added.

"Clan Cancer is neutral as well." A Pink dragoness, Queen Diane, said from where she sat on the throne engraved with a Crab.

"As is Clan Libra", said a Golden dragon, King Kronos.

The other clans, however, voiced support for the fight. The Light Clans sided behind Clan Pisces, while the Dark Clans sided behind Clan Aquarius.

Boreas glanced around the circle of Rulers.

"I guess this ends our Council. The LAST Council of Monarchs. At least until Oceanus has been wiped from the land like the plague he is!"

"Not on your life, you Dark bastard!" Oceanus shouted.

The Rulers then got up from their thrones, the Light dragons leaving through the exposed ceiling, and the Dark dragons leaving thought the exit hallway. The ten real dragons stepped aside, even though the other dragons would only pass through them harmlessly. The Colesium then slowly faded away, and the abyss returned.

"And that is when the Twilight War really began", Ignitus stated. "Light and Dark dragons slaughtered each other, all because of a petty arguement."

The younger dragons looked amongst themselves in shame.

"Such dishonor", Albanion said.

"But what does this have to do with Rune?" Voden asked.

"In a way," Spyro began "The war is what led to Rune's conception."

"What do you mean?" Jules queried.

"You see, as some of you remember, the war lasted about eight years. Near the end of the conflict, the Dark dragons in the war found themselves losing, both the war, and their lives. As this took place, young Elenar, now made Queen of Clan Aries, knew the Light dragons were going to win. But she also feared that the Light dragons would look upon the Neutral Dark Clans with the same hateful eyes. She would eventually be proven right, by the formation of the Darkstalkers."

"In the meantime", Urobos added. "Elenar fled to the Floating Plains, the home of Clan Capricorn, and proposed a new idea: Both clans would combine their Magic and other recouces and construct a new home for all Dark dragons, both of the two clans, and the Dark dragons that lost their old clans. That home would become known as The Hive. Also, at my own suggestion, I arranged for her to marry my son Bane, uniting the two royal bloodlines."

"An arranged marriage?" Hontus asked. "And Bane approved?"

Urobos chuckled.

"Sure, on the surface, it seemed like a marriage of convenience. However, Bane and Elenar were friends for a very long time before it, and my son cared for her deeply. Soon after they were mated, they bore two children: Rune, and Cyrus."

Ignitus spoke next.

"For at least seven years after the war ended, The Hive existed in secret as the perfect home for the Dark dragons. Well, _almost_ perfect. The dragons required various goods and other things that couldn't be made in The Hive. So, Bane created a way to disguise a Dark dragon as a Light dragon, and the spell was used in mass quantities so the prince and a great number of his followers could wander around the world as 'nomads', gathering the supplies needed. The spell worked perfectly for years. But then..."

"What?" Jules asked. Albanion and Elza glanced at each other.

"I know what happened", Albanion said. "A little over five years ago, when Bane reached the age of thirty, he was going to be crowned King of the Dark dragons. Before that, however, he was going to make one last trip as a nomad. It should happen that Rune and Cyrus would ask if they could go with their father. He allowed it. Elza and I went with him in that trip, to the City of Warfang.

"While we were there," Elza added, "the princes were put under our supervision while Bane conducted his business with the locals. At one point, while we were distracted, Rune managed to slip away from us. When we realized he was gone, we conducted a frantic search for him. When we finally found him, he seemed afraid of something. We didn't question what was wrong: instead, we just scolded him for running away from the group, and then returned to Bane and the others."

Albanion started again.

"A few days later, something horrible happened. Somehow, the Darkstalkers found us. They invaded the Hive, killing nearly all of us. Urobos and Elenar stayed behind, presumably to get the civilians working in the Palace out, while Bane took charge and led the others out of through the city's lower section, built in case of such an emergency. During the exodus, Rune got lost from the group.

"There was eventually a great explosion on The Hive, and it crashed into the world below. During an attempt to salvage what was left in the wreckage, the body of Queen Elenar was found, but Urobos's and Rune's bodies were missing. It was believed they were dead."

Elza spoke again.

"But recently, when we travelled to Glenhaven to find the runaway prince Cyrus, we had the fortune of finding the long-thought-dead Rune. We tried to speak with him, but he attacked us and fled in a panic. We found him again just south of Warfang and tried to speak with him again, when you four dropped in on us."

Albanion glanced over at Urobos.

"And now, we find out that our Previous master King Urobos survived as well. Tell me, my lord, how did you do it?" Urobos shook his head.

"As I have said before, I am a King no longer. And as for surviving, I did not."

"What do you mean? You're standing before us, are you not?" Aegis said.

"Yes, I am alive now. But what I mean is that I died in the explosion, and was brought back to life some time afterwards."

"By who?" Hontus asked.

"By me." Spyro answered. "I used my power to restore his body, bringing him back to life."

"Did you do the same with Rune as well?" Jules asked.

Spyro suddenly looked sad, and glanced at the floor.

"Oh, how I wish that was true."

"You didn't bring Rune back to life?" Aegis asked. "Then did The Great Shadow do so?"

"No, we were too late."

"You're not making much sense." Voden said. "If _you_ didn't revive Rune, and _she _didn't revive Rune, then who did?"

Ignitus answered, saying only one word.

"Malefor."


	19. Act 2, Chapter 8

Act 2, Chapter 8

"Malefor?" Elza exclaimed incredulously.

"Wait, who is this, 'Malefor'?" Jules asked. "I've never heard of anyone by that name."

The three Deep Shadows sighed.

"In ancient times, Malefor was a purple dragon who wreaked havoc upon the world." Elza said. "He was Evil Incarnate, and nearly brought about an event that was called The Great Cleansing. However, The Great Shadow and Spyro managed to slay him."

"That is incorrect." Albanion said.

"Incorrect?" The Wind dragoness asked. Spyro nodded.

"Yes. Even though Cynder and I came close to slaying him, we weren't able to. Instead, Malefor was sealed inside the Crystal core of the world by the spirits of ancient dragon elders."

"However, eventually, Malefor _was_ killed." Albanion said.

"He was?" Hontus asked.

"Yes. Bane slew him."

The Dark Grey dragon recounted the tale that Bane had told him, how Bane had fallen into the core of the world, nearly freed Malefor, and then killed him when the Purple dragon tried to take over his mind.

"As Malefor passed on, he swore to get revenge on Bane", Albanion finished. "So why would he willingly revive Bane's son from death? And more importantly, How?"

"Possibly the same way that Spyro revived Urobos." Ignitus said.

"And what way is that?" Seraph asked. Spyro began to speak.

"When Cynder and I finally died, our spirits traveled to the Underworld. We were greeted there by Elders from ancient times. They were so pleased with the deeds we did for the dragon race that we were granted incredible new power and abilities so we can continue to look after the Dragon race, even after our deaths. One such ability is being able to bring a dead being to life."

"So you can revive the dead." Voden said.

"Yes, but there are some limitations. Cynder and I can only revive one spirit each every five years. Even then, we seldom use the ability."

"So, Malefor can revive a dragon the same way?" Albanion asked. "But, how can he have that ability after being slain?"

Ignitus spoke again.

"Bane's slaying of Malefor was a grave mistake. For hundreds of years before that incident, Malefor was trapped in a comatose-like state. He couldn't free himself, despite tendrils of his power able to wander a short ways away. When Bane killed him, he prevented Malefor from escaping into the living world, but he also enabled Malefor's spirit to wander the Underworld."

Spyro spoke next.

"Cynder and I combatted Malefor in the underworld, trying our best to subdue him. But, he was still as powerful as he was alive, despite the fact that our power had increased since we last battled."

"When the Battle for The Hive took place, Malefor accidentally found his way out." The Chronicler said.

He held his paw out again, and the abyss started changing again. This time, the floor disappeared as well. It was as though the dragons were standing midair.

The dragons found themselves in another Black abyss. However, high above them was a great white light, and far below them was a great green glow. They could hear shouting and screaming all around them. Dragons of various elements, Dark and Light alike, proceeded to fall out of the white light and into the green below. It was a frightening sight.

"What are you showing us now?" Seraph asked, alarmed.

"This is the night of the attack on The Hive." Spyro said. "The dragons you see falling are those who recently died in the massacre."

The three Guardians were slightly unnerved by the sight, but the Three Deep Shadows seemed horrified.

"Why are you showing us _this_?" Aegis demanded. Urobos pointed to the white light.

"Listen and Look."

At first, they heard and saw only the usual dragon falling into the Underworld. But then, there was a great explosion, and the white light shone blood red. A moment later, a great mass of dragons fell into the abyss simultaneously, all roaring in horror.

"What has happened?" The Water dragoness yelled.

"Elenar has just used her most powerful magical ability at her disposal: Pain Fury." Ignitus answered.

"Pain Fury?" Hontus asked.

"There are a few dragons who are able to enter into what is known as 'Fury' state, in which they are able to unleash a powerful elemantal attack that strikes at all enemies nearby. Elenar's element is Pain. Pain normally causes a being to twitch in agony as they bleed from within or their nervous system is hijacked. But in the Fury state, Pain causes far worse effects to a great mass of beings, killing them quickly yet agonizinglly.

"Unfortunately, that power came with a price. Pain Fury also kills the user and anyone directly nearby. They become unable to feel pain and die peacefully, as the beings around them die in great suffering. Elenar believed all hope was lost for her and her son Rune. Not wanting her cub to be slain and die slowly, she used Pain Fury so he could die in peace.

"That's... That's so sad." Seraph said.

Soon, another dragon fell into the Abyss. It was Elenar.

...

Elenar was holding Rune tightly in her forelegs as they fell. She wasn't screaming, but she was still very much afraid. Rune, however, was crying and sobbing.

"Momma, what's happening?" Rune exclaimed, hiccuping.

Elenar couldn't speak. She didn't know what she could say. So, She only held onto Rune as best as she could as they descended into the great Green light below them. Dozens of dragons screamed in horror as they descended past them, moving at over twice the same speed.

"Momma, I wanna go back up!" Rune pleaded.

"We can't, Rune." Elenar finally said solemnly.

"Why not?"

"We're dead."

"I don't understand, Momma!"

Tears ran down the Dark Grey dragoness's face.

She knew the Darkstalkers were going to kill Rune and her with great brutality. She used her Pain Fury as a last resort to save herself and her son from that horrible fate. But even with that reason in mind, Elenar hated herself.

She had murdered her own son.

As she fell, she knew she deseved to die..

But Rune as well? Why? He was only a cub. Why did he have to die? And if it wasn't by her paw, than it would have been by the hands of the Darkstalkers. What kind of fate is that for a young cub? How could The Great Shadow allow this to happen?

_I've got to find a way for Rune to return to life_, she thought to herself. _Some way. Anyway! He doesn't deserve this!_

The Mother and child fell into the great green void. All around them were ghost-like entities flying by, heading in unknown directions. Elenari tried to turn around to fly back up the way she had just fallen, but a large number of the ghosts blocked her passage.

"Out of my way!" She demanded. "I have to save my son!"

The Dark Grey dragoness tried to fight past the spectres, but it was to no avail.

"_Your life and you son's has ended_", one of the ghosts proclaimed. "_You both belong to the Underworld now, for all eternity._"

"NO!" Elenar screamed. She tried one last time, but was pushed back, flying deeper into the green void. Rune cried even louded.

"Momma, I don't want to be dead!"

Elenar didn't know what to do. She only held her son close.

"I'm sorry, my son, but we're stuck here."

It was all over. Elenar was separated from her family. It would be decades before she would see Bane again, and an even _longer_ timespan before she would see her other children. The dragoness was stuck in the Underworld, as was her son Rune, taken far before his time.

There could be no escape for them.

They were doomed.

Elenar proceeded to shut her now-transparent eyes, listening to the sobs of her little cub...

But then, out of nowhere, a powerful voice spoke to Elenar.

"_Well, well. what have we here? A Mother and child trapped in the Afterlife?_"

The dragoness felt a great and powerful mass of energy surround her. She was then quickly dragged downwards. She tried to fight back against it, but was helplessly taken down to a chunk of land floating in the lower section of the abyss. She came to a crash on the landmass. Elenar tried to fly off, but her wings had suddenly become paralyzed. She started hyperventilating.

Soon, a dragon appeared before her. The dragon towered over her, and had an incredibly muscular build. He had a Dark Purple hide, and a similar underbelly. He had three great horns, one of the top of his head and two more on the sides, which seemed to blend between shades of Purple, Red and Gold. His body was adorned with countless spines and scars. And it's eyes were completely Yellow, except for two demonic pupils.

The dragon stepped closer, and Elenar fell backwards in fear. Rune looked up at the great Purple stranger before him, shaking. The stranger seemed to be smiling down at them malevolently.

"_Do not fear me, little dragoness." _The Purple dragon said with a horrible voice._ "If I was planning on attacking you, I would have already done so."_

"Who...who are you?" Elenar choked out.

"_A powerful dragon, much like yourself, although you must be an evil one._"

Elenar gasped.

"I'm not evil!" She yelled.

"_Oh, but you MUST be! After all, you have condemned a great army of dragons to death. Not even your son was spared by your malice."_

"I DID NOT KILL..." Elenar began. But she stopped.

The stranger was right.

"I... I wanted to spare Rune from dying painfully!"

"_So you killed him? Would you call that good parenting?_"

Rune glanced up at his mother, a look of shock and horror on his face.

"You... You killed me, Momma?"

"I..."

"_Face it, dear Elenar. You have commited a great sin. Your patron saint will be VERY displeased when she sees you clutching the innocent cub you have killed._"

Elenar looked down at the Black cub. She started to cry again.

"_Your fate is sealed, Elenar." _The stranger glanced down at Rune. "_Although..._"

The dragon snatched Rune up in his great paw and held him up by his gruff, looking into Rune's eyes.

"Let me go!" Rune protested, swinging his tiny limbs trying to break free.

"Put my son down!" Elenar pleaded. "What do you want from him?"

"_While you are doomed, it is still possible for Rune to return to the living world._"

The dragoness's eyes lit up in surprise.

"What?"

"_I can use my magic to return your son to his body._"

"You have the power to do that?"

"_Of course. Though I wonder, what's in it for me?_"

"Huh?"

"_Everything comes with a price, little dragoness. And returning the dead to life has a high cost, even if the dead in question is only a cub. So, what will you offer me in exchange for restoring Rune?_"

Elenar thought. _Would this work? Can this stranger revive Rune? Neither Rune nor I have anything to lose at this point. But then, what could I offer up in exchange? I am dead. I have nothing to offer, except..._

"Take me." Elenar said.

"_Hmmm?_" The Purple dragon smirked, an eye raised.

"Do what you want with me. I submit to you." Elenar bowed her head before the Purple one. "Please, just send my son back to the living world!"

The Purple dragon smiled malevolently yet again.

"_I accept your offer._"

The dragon created an orb of Purple energy in his free front paw. He then placed the orb on Rune's chest.

"_When your son wakes up next, he will be alive yet again. He will have no memory of his time in the Underworld._"

"Oh, thank you..."

The purple orb entered Rune, and the young cub started glowing white. The cub looked at Elenar, who looked back, teary-eyed.

"Momma..."

"Goodbye, my son."

And with that final farewell, Rune disappeared in a cloud of white.

Elenar bowed before the dragon. The Purple one then grabbed Elenar by the neck and lifted her in the air, bringing her head to his. The Purple one licked the side of her face with his barbed tongue. She flinched at the feeling.

"_You belong to me now._"

...

"That despicable bastard!" Elza shouted as the chamber finally returned. "How DARE he do that to Elenar!"

Spyro sighed.

"Malefor was lying. There was no cost. He took power over Elenar as a way of getting back at Bane. For the past five years, Elenar has been Malefor's slave, being forced let him have his way with her over and over."

"If Bane learns of this, he will try to kill Malefor ten times over." Albanion exclaimed.

"Earlier you said that you were too late to get to Elenar and Rune." Aegis said.

"Yes. Cynder and I tried to get to Elenar and Rune to revive them. But Malefor got ahead of us and pushed us away, so he can use the two for his own plans.

"When Malefor revived Rune, he put a small fraction of his own essence into him, so he can use the boy as a pawn. However, it turned out that the further Rune was from the entryway to the Underworld, the weaker Malefor's hold on him was. Since The Hive's ruins were consiberably far from the Pit of the Fallen, Malefor's control was too weak to take effect. When Rune fled, Malefor's control became virtually nonexistant."

Ignitus spoke next.

"After witnessing what happened, Spyro and Cynder contacted me immediately. I told them that they should get the boy as far from the Mountains of Inferdus as possible. The best place for him was the city of Glenhaven. The problem was, Spyro and Cynder are normally forbidden from contacting the living directly, at least outside of Sacred Ground."

"So, Spyro found me in the Underworld and brought me back to life", Urobos said. "The plan was that, since Rune looked up to me, I would be able to lead him to Glenhaven and look after him there in secret."

"Why not just return with him to the rest of the Dark Dragons?" Albanion asked. The Black dragon shook his head.

"The Nexux has stayed mostly on the Northern Continent for the past five years. That would be too close to the Pit of the Fallen. The first thing I did, now alive again, was try to reveal that I was alive to Bane, in hopes of convincing him to take The Nexus south. However, he believed I was a figment of imagination, and tried to destroy me.

"Failing at that, I proceeded to try and find young Rune. Ignitus showed me the way to him. But when I finally found Rune, he had been rescued from dying of starvation. It was you, Hontus and Seraph, although I did not know it at the time. I kept an eye on Rune for a few weeks, seeing how he would adjust to life in Glenhaven. When it seemed like he was safe and going to be happy, I decided to travel the world as a wandering nomad."

"Things were fine for him for five years." Spyro began. "But then, recently, Malefor's power over Rune became stronger, enabling him to fill his head with fear and doubt, even from a great distance."

"A few days ago, we learned from our daughter that Rune had been shouting out in his sleep." Hontus said. "Could that be the reason why?"

"It is a definite fact." Ignitus said.

"But how did Malefor's power over Rune increase?"

"Malefor's influence was limited by something else: He had to use Rune's own Magical energy to manipulate him. When Rune was only a cub, he did not have nearly as much power as he has now. But as Rune got older, his power increased, and it recently got high enough for Malefor to start using it."

Spyro spoke again.

"When Rune fled Glenhaven, he got closer to the Pit of the Fallen, enabling Malefor's influence to strengthen. He then started speaking to Rune, disguising himself as 'The Chronicler', to trick him into trying to find his brother Cyrus to help him revive their mother.

"We contacted Urobos and sent him to try and stop Rune. Seeing that he may need help, Cynder brought me to life, so that I may get directly involved in your affairs."

"While Spyro tried to stop Cyrus, I tried my best to track down Rune. Ignitus tried to aid me, but it seems that when Malefor's influence got strong enough, he became able to block Rune from being located through Magic. He was also able to filter the power of Darkness through Rune and create scores of Crepsculi, confusing many into thinking they were being summoned by Bane, though only about half of them actually were."

"How is that possible?" Elza asked.

"Malefor has the power of Convexity. Convexity is composed of all elements, both of Light and Darkness. It seems he's learned to split Convexity into two halves, and use the Dark half to create Crepsculi. In any case, I soon learned that you four Guardians and you three Deep Shadows were heading to the same destination: the Pit of the Fallen. So, we formulated a plan to unite you all together."

"And here we all are now." Spyro added.

"What will happen if Rune and Cyrus try to revive Elenar?" Jules asked.

"The spell will reach Elenar and pull her to the surface. However, this will also pull Malefor as well, because he has developed great grip on her. After this, Malefor will be resurrected into a new body, free to terrorize the world once again. He will no doubt start by slaying Bane."

"We must flee to the Pit of the Fallen Post-haste!" Aegis and Jules said simultaneously, to the amusement of Voden.

"I have a last question", Hontus said. "Where are Blank, Nellie, and Emerald?"

"By sheer chance, those three children have met and agreed to help Cyrus and his band of travelers." Ignitus answered. "They now have all twelve elements under their control, and are traveling to the Pit of the Fallen as we speak."

"Then we must leave immediately", Albanion said. Ignitus nodded.

"Yes. Urobos and Spyro will join you. I will show you all the way. But take heart, my friends: Those Mountains are now crawling with Crepsculi."

"What do we do about Bane?" Albanion asked. "The night of Eternal Darkness arrives tomorow evening. How do we stop him from enacting his plan?"

"Do not worry about that", Spyro said. "My wife will tend to _that_ matter."

...

It was some time later

Most of the dragons were preparing to venture to the Mountains of Inferdus. Urobos, Jules and Aegis were discussing the events of the last few days, while Hontus and Seraph were sitting down to reserve their energy. Albanion and Elza were doing something similar across the way.

Whle all of the others were preoccupied, Voden decided to have a look around Ignitus's inner chamber.

The Orange dragon couldn't help but fill with wonderment at the sight of the many books that surrounded him. Back in the Glenhaven Palace, Voden's secondary occupation was that of a Histroy scholar and teacher. For as long as he could remember, he was absolutely fascinated by the countless years of pleasure and pain that the dragon race had to endure. The Orange Guardian was the one who had gotten Emerald and Rune interested in the subject.

Looking around, Voden wished to have a look at every singe tome and text around him, if only time restraints allowed it. However, he had less than a night left before he had to travel to the Mountains of Inferdus. So, he had to make a quick decision.

As the Orange dragon looked around at the many floating books, there was one spot of the chamber that caught his attention.

Over on the far end of the room, behind the Hourglass construct, sat a small desk. The desk had only three books, which sat neatly against each other in the center of the desk. The covers of the books were almost completely barren, except for a strange image on the front. Each book's cover was similar, yet significantly different.

The Book on the left had the image of a dragon whose body was half Black on one side and half White on the other, and with deep, Emerald eyes, staring directly forewards at the viewer. The dragon's wings were spread outwards for flight, each one an opposite color of the side of the body it was attached to. The dragon's gaze was filled with that of sorrow, as if a great tragedy had befallen him. Its title, written in the ancient draconian language, was "Protection".

The Book in the center had the image of a dragon whose body was also half Black and half White. However, _this_ dragon's hide had a more chaotic color scheme to it: it almost seemed as if its the Blacknes and Whiteness were moving across the dragon's body continuoiusly. Its eye-whites were actually entirely Black, and its Eyepupils were completely White. The dragon seemed disgusted with itself, as if it didn't desire its horrifying appearance. The book's title, also written in ancient draconian, was "Destruction".

The book on the right had a the image of **two** dragons instead of just one. The two dragons seemed to be circling each other, their tailtips each partially consumed by the other. The dragon on the left was completely Black, while the other one was completely White, but othewise, the two appeared to be nearly identical. Both dragons seemed to be equally enraged at each other, and sought to swallow each other whole. The book's title was, "Reincarnation".

Voden looked back and forth between this strange set of three, wondering what they could possibly be about. He began to reach for the one on the right, when a voice spoke to him from behind.

"I would advise against that, Voden."

It was Ignitus.

The Orange dragon turned to see the Teal dragon standing a little ways behind him to the left.

"What is the matter?" Voden asked. "Am I not allowed to read any of your books without permission?"

"That is not it at all." The Chronicler replied. "You are free to read whatever catches your interest."

"Then why is it ill-advised to read these three?" The Guardian queried.

Ignitus sighed.

"The three books you see there are of three, soon to be four, dragons who have fates tied deeply into the fate of the entire world."

"What do you mean, Ignitus?"

"Those four dragons each had a paw, or shall soon have a paw, in deciding the ultimate destiny of the Dragon realms. The dragon in the first book was born several centuries ago, while the second one was born much more recently, yet still very long ago. Both of their stories are incredibly detailed, but their ultimate fate remains a mystery."

"And what of the third book?" Voden asked.

"The third and fourth dragons' story has barely just begun. The third is still very young, and the fourth has yet to be born. But his birth is coming very soon."

"Do you know who these two dragons are?"

Ignitus frowned.

"Yes, but I cannot bear to tell another soul the dragons' identity. Not even Spyro or Cynder are aware of the coming sorrow, and I doubt they would be able to cope with the revelation."

Voden became eager to find out whom the Chronicler was speaking of, yet also anxious.

"If I read this third book, will I discover who it is?"

"The answer will soon become apparent once you begin reading, Voden." Ignitus answered. "But be warned: there is a great chance that you will despise what you have learned."

The Orange dragon looked down at the book for a time, trying to decide it the revelation was worth whatever horror that may come.

"...If you truly believe it's best not to know," He finally said, "Then I shall heed your warning."

Voden turned away from the books. Ignitus smiled.

"A wise choice, my friend." He stated. "As for the other two books, you may read them without worry: The events detailed within them have already come to pass, and as such don't come with a price for reading them."

"If you say so, Ignitus..."

The Orange dragon turned back around to begin reading the book on the left.

But as he did this, he still couldn't help but wonder what the mystery was behind the third book.

_Who could the third and fourth dragons possibly be? Why would the revelation be horrifying to Lord Spyro and his wife?_

Little did he know that the answer would come soon enough, an dit would shock him to his very core.


	20. Act 2, Chapter 9

Act 2, Chapter 9

Cyrus and the others woke up a few hours into the morning.

They had planned on slipping out of the city under the cover of night. Unfortunately, they ran into a problem: Dark dragons had started roaming the streets once again. The last thing the group needed was for the three Light dragons to be noticed by anyone. So, they had to find a way to get the trio past the many Dark dragons they pass by without incident.

"I have an idea" Tina said. "What if we put Shrouds of Darkness over them, and disguise them as Dark dragons?"

"Would that work?" Cyrus asked. Wraith ran a paw through his mane in thought.

"Well, I suppose it _could_ work", The Dark Red dragon said. "The disguise changes the target's appearance to whatever is desired."

"Even if it works, it would only create another problem." Lilith stated.

"What do you mean?" Blank asked. The Dark Yellow dragoness pointed a talon out the window.

"Did you notice anything odd about the dark Dragons wandering the city?" She asked.

"Uh.."

"They're all adults."

"They are?" Nellie asked. "Where are the children, then?"

Lilith moved her forepaw and pointed up at the fortress floating over Warfang.

"They're in there, The Nexus."

"Why are they **there**?" Emerald queried.

"You see, young ones, after King Bane transformed the hatchlings and cubs of Warfang into Dark dragons, he had them mixed in with the Dark dragon hatchlings and cubs that were born naturally. They were all put in a magically-induced slumber. He plans on awakening them after the Night of Eternal Darkness comes, so he can make them forget about the existance of Light dragons, and the fact that they used to _be_ light dragons."

"Ah, that's right", Wraith said. "All of the children are supposed to be in the lower chambers of the fortress, deep in hibernation. If somebody sees a group of children wandering the streets at night, be they Light or Dark, too many questions will be asked."

"So how are we supposed to get out of Warfang, then?" Cyrus asked.

Lilith and Wraith proceeded to spend the next few minutes thinking it over. The five young dragons thought as well. Eventually, Blank had an epiphany.

"Hey, I've got an idea!" He shouted

...

The two Deep Shadows split the children into two groups: Lilith brought Nellie, Tina and Emerald with her, while Wraith brought along Cyrus and Blank. They each ventured into the streets of Warfang and split up into two directions: The males headed Clockwise, while the females went Counterclockwise.

The Orange dragon had pointed out that if all seven of them traveled together, they would be highly suspicious. By splitting up and traveling separately, it would be easier for both groups to get around Warfang. Another thing he pointed out was that not only was it not a problem for Lilith and Wraith to be seen by Dark dragons, but they were Deep Shadows. They could walk down the middle of the street towards the Dragon Temple, claiming to be off to report to the King.

While the regular Dark dragons are distracted, the children can silently follow by gliding from rooftop to rooftop; flying would be to conspicuous. Having no other options, the two adult dragons decided to give it a try.

As it turned out, the plan worked almost like a charm. As an extra precaution, both Deep shadows walked down streets that had the fewest civilians. However, when encountering them was inevitable, they always stopped to bow and give other signs of respect, paying no attention to anything else. This enabled the young dragons to follow with no problems.

As Wraith's group passed around the Dragon Temple, Cyrus took some time to look at it. He sighed.

At that very moment, his father was somewhere inside, preparing his plan to eliminate the Light dragon race.

Cyrus hadn't seen King Bane in over a month. For the longest time, after the Royal family was reduced to two, Cyrus had wanted to spend more time with Bane. Although he didn't have many memories of Bane when he was a cub, there were the few moments when Bane was around to spend time with the two princes. He used to be a kind and compassionate man, much like his father Urobos was. But then, after the destruction of The Hive, Cyrus's father became a hollow shell of the man he used to be. Several times in the past five years, suitors came to Bane in hopes of becoming his next Queen, but each time, the women were sent running from him, scars across their faces.

Bane never got over the death of Elenar. That had to be it. Sure, he probably missed Rune and Urobos as well, but Elenar held a special place in his soul. That dragoness was the reason he began this plan of eliminating the Light dragons. And there was one final detail in Bane's plan that very few knew about: Bane was planning to end his own life, so that he could reunite with Elenar in the Underworld. Cyrus' mother was the only one who could stop this madness.

Eventually, the two groups found their way around the Dragon Temple and out the North side of the city of Warfang. Both of them travelled north for a few leagues, until they swerved towards each other and reunited as one group.

After traveling across the Veros Outskirts a little while further, Cyrus spotted a herd of deer grazing a little while away. He felt and heard his stomach growling.

"You children should go feed", Lilith stated. "We have a great distance to travel in a short time, and you will need the energy."

"What about you two?" Nellie asked.

"When you get to _our_ level of power", Wraith replied "you learn to convert pure Darkness into energy. We don't need food. At least, not as often as most dragons."

"How are you able to do _that?_" Emerald queried.

"Years of practice. But enough of that. Go ahead and get some food."

Without a reason not to, the five young dragons chased after the deer.

Without thinking about it, Blank charged slightly ahead of the others. Noticing this, Cyrus charged as well, trying to get ahead. Not wanting to be outdone, the Orange dargon went faster. The next thing both dragons knew, they were racing each other to the deer, who didn't notice the dragons approaching. When they were almost to the deer, the Black dragon turned his head and blew a burst of Wind behind himself, giving himself a boost of speed. He shot fowards like a rocket, stunning Blank a little.

"Hey, no fair!" The Orange dragon yelled angrilly.

But before Cyrus could respond, he forgot to slow down, and ended up crashing into two of the deer, sending all three of them to the ground. Nellie, Emerald and Tina laughed at the sight.

The other deer heard the commotion and turned to flee to the East. The three girls flew on ahead to fell their own prey, while Blank came to a stop besides Cyrus, struggling to hold back laughter.

"Cheaters never prosper!" Blank said, chuckled.

The Prince only sneered at the Orange dragon

The deer that the Black dragon landed on were moaning loudly. Although the damage couldn't be seen, Cyrus must have crushed several of their bones.

"This isn't how _I'd_ fell a deer, but I guess those of royalty have their own methods." Blank smirked.

"Oh, shut up." Cyrus said, struggling to his feet.

Blank picked a deer he found to his liking, broke its neck, and proceeded to drag it to where the two Deep Shadows had landed nearby. Cyrus grabbed the other one and followed him. The girls were coming back, dragging deer of their own.

After a few moments, the young dragons had sat around a campfire that Wraith had set up, eating their kill. Lilith kept watch on the Outskirts that stretched around them, making sure nobody from Warfang followed them. The Crimson dragon was stuck watching the children feed. He grimaced.

"How is it dragons have yet to evolve beyond eating like _this_?" He complained. "Ugh."

"What's the problem?" Blank asked, blood smeared allover his snout. Wraith rolled his eyes.

"Clean your face, kid."

"Sorry! Can't be helped!" The Orange dragon exclaimed, grinning. Bits of Deer organs were stuck in his fangs. Wraith had a gag look on his face and looked away.

"What's with him?" Blank asked Tina, confused. She rolled her eyes.

"Wraith's a vegetarian. He doesn't like killing things for food. Don't try to change his mind; He's as stubborn as a rock!"

Lilith turned to glare at her daughter.

"Tina! That's no way to speak about someone, especially a person instructed to guard your life."

The Dark Yellow dragoness sighed and glanced at Wraith.

"Sorry, Wraith."

Satisfied with the apology, The adult dragoness resumed watching the Outskirts. Blank looked back at Tina.

"So, Lilith's your mom?"

"Yeah. She and my dad, Aegis, have been under the employ of King Bane for years now, although Mother was a Deep Shadow for a much longer time than Aegis. They've worked for His majesty even before the three of us became Dark dragons."

Blank was shocked. Nellie and Emerald had been listening in, and reacted the same way.

"You weren't born a dark dragon?" Emerald asked.

Lilith and Wraith happened to be eavesdropping during this time.

"That is correct, young one." Lilith answered "Tina, my husband and I all used to be Light dragons, like you, but eventually we became Dark dragons."

"But how did you become Dark dragons?" Nellie asked.

"Isn't it obvious? King Bane transformed us."

"But I thought Bane HATED Light dragons." Emerald stated.

"Well, there _is _the occasional exception."

"But why you?" The Blue dragoness queried.

Lilith sighed.

"Let me explain how this happened."

"Hey, can you tell the stoy as we fly to the Mountains of Inferdus?" Wraith complained. "We need to get going."

The adult dragoness nodded.

"I suppose that would be a wise course of action."

Wraith glanced around at the five deer corpses, grimacing again.

"And it looks like you five are done ...eating. Do away with what's left and we'll be going."

...

Once the deer bodies were buried and the dragons began flying north, Lilith began her story.

"Several years ago, some time after The Hive was attacked and Bane had suffered the loss of most of his family,he traveled to the city of Faeshrine, for reasons which elude me. But in any case, Bane found himself venturing a short distance to the Easst of the city limits, over in a large part of the Tarune forest that led to the Floating Plains beyond. As he was trying to find his way through the Forest thicet, he found himself running low on Dark energy, and thus had to remove his Shroud of Darkness in order to strengthen it. While his disguise was off, he was spotted as a Black dragon by a tribe of Cougars, who immediately ambushed the King and knocked him unconscious. They were about to kill him then and there."

"Why would a tribe of Cougars try to kill Bane?" Blank asked.

"That particular tribe of Cougars used to be enemies of Clan Capricorn, and any of their allies. They must have recognized Bane as part of the Capricorn bloodline. Luckilly, my husband Aegis, Tina and I happened to be wandering the forest as well, and heard the commotion. When we saw Bane, Aegis was fascinated by the sight of a Black dragon. He then stepped in to save the poor soul from being slain. By shear chance, Bane regained consciousness a few moments later, and witnessed Aegis fighting back against the cougars. Bane got up and started fighting back as well.

"After the Cougars had all been slain, Bane raised his sword against my husband as well. Aegis jumped back, saying he that was a friend. When Bane saw that the other dragon was missing a wing, the King stopped his attack. After this, I brought Tina with me into the area to meet this dragon up close.

"Bane apologized for his actions, but said that he couldn't risk having anyone know about the Dark dragons' secret. We explained to Bane that we were nomads, forced to leave our home in Faeshrine because Aegis's disability had made it impossible to get around as well as a normal dragon. Bane thought for a moment, and then suggested that the three of us join his entourage. We accepted. So, Bane placed Shrouds of Darkness around the three of us, disguising us a Dark dragons. And as a way saying thanks for saving his life, Bane showed Aegis how to use the Memory Element to enable telekinesis, which could be used to make Aegis levitate, a substitute for flight.

"A few weeks later, in The Hive, I happened to demonstrate incredible skill at Lightning Magic. So, Bane had me become a Deep Shadow, although a few of the other members had their reservations about allowing a Light dragon join their ranks. After Bane discovered the way to transform Light dragons into Dark dragons, The three of us volunteered to be the first ones he used the spell on. Aegis became a Deep Shadow shortly afterwards."

"So, you willingly became Dark dragons." Emerald said.

"Yes. The Light dragons we used to live around were never very kind about Aegis's missing wing. There were a few times when they'd try to kill him. But the Dark dragons were much kinder to him. Even though there were a few who knew we were really Light dragons, like the King and the other Deep Shadows, we were treated as equals."

"But if Bane began to hate Light dragons, why didn't he try to kill you afterwards?"

"It could be that he thinks of us differently because of the work Aegis and I have done for him all this time. Or, perhaps he was planning our murder up until we willingly became Dark dragons."

"My guess is the former." Wraith said. "Bane may have become a madman, but somehow he's an **honorable** madman."

"He _is _a madman, isn't he?" Cyrus said glumly.

"Don't worry, your highness." Lilith said to him. "Once Queen Elenar has been revived, your father will return to his senses."

Cyrus said nothing more, and the seven dragons spent the rest of the night travelling to the Mountains of Inferdus.

...

Rune felt biting cold stinging all over the side of his body. He slowly got up, wiping weariness from his eyes. He found himself laying in a pile of snow. He looked around to find out where he was.

The young dragon realized he was on a mountain cliffside. High mountain ranges extended all around him in the distance, all covered in snow. The sky was completely grey, and a violent snowstorm blowing. Blistering wind blew against Rune's face. He had never been there before, but he instinctively knew where he was.

The Mountains of Inferdus.

The Mountains of Inferdus used to belong to Clan Aries, before they left for The Hive years ago. The Mountains remained almost completely uninhabited since then, the only exception being wild animals that were used to harsh temperatures, and the occasional traveler seeking to rob the mountians of its vast amount of Gems.

_Rejoice, young dragon_, the Chronicler stated. _You have finally arrived at the Mountains of Inferdus. Now, all you have to do is find Cyrus, gather the needed Gems, and find the Pit of the Fallen._

"Where will I find the Pit?" Rune asked.

_The Pit of the Fallen lies in the base of the Highest Mountain in the Range; Mount Erebus. It lies about a mile to the East of where you are now._

"Alright."

_There are no other dragons here, Rune. You may fly to reach your destination._

Rune nodded.

He was about to take flight when he realized that his Shroud of Darkness was gone, and he was shivering heavily.

"I better warm myself first." He said to himself.

Rune looked around for any trees that might be growing nearby. With luck, he spotted a tree a short distance away down in a valley. He gently glided to the tree, ripped a few branches down, and started a campfire with his Fire breath.

The Black dragon spent a few minutes lying on the ground, getting warm, when he started to let his mind wander. He thought about the fight that took place the previous night. Two of the dragons that attacked the Deep Shadows were Hontus and Seraph. There was no mistaking it.

_Is something the matter, young dragon?_

"Two of those dragons were my adoptive parents."

_Oh?_

"Yeah. I don't get it. What were they doing there in the Veros Outskirts?"

_Perhaps they were looking for you._

"Why would they do THAT? They must've found out I'm a Black dragon by now!"

_Young dragon, I fail to see how-_

Suddenly, the sounds of growling filled the air. Rune looked around, and was surprised to see several Crepsculi had surrounded him. Some of the beasts were small, like the ones he fought in the Fractured Hills, while others had large, bloated bodies. A few of the creatures were even larger, nearly the size of a fully-grown dragon. They had three snarling heads on their torsos, and a fourth one on the end of their tails.

"Where did _they_ come from?" Rune shouted, getting ready to fight back.

_They must be after you. Fight them, Rune!_

Rune immediately jumped into battle, fighting the Crepsculi.

The Black dragon began his attack by striking the closest monsters with a large Blast of Lightning breath, electrocuting them. As he did this, one of the bloated Crepsculi charged from behind, followed by two of the small beasts. Rune sensed their approach with his Memory element, and quckly spun around to face them.

The young dragon unleashed a burst of Fire breath, burning the nearby Crepsculi alive. As the smaller creatures shrieked in pain, the Bloated beast charged through the flames, intending to crush Rune with its gerth. However, the Black dragon countered this by using his Earth element to augment his strength and forced the Crepsculus backwards.

As this happened, a multi-headed Crepsculus charged towards the young dragon from the side and slashed a foreclaw along his torso. The young dragon was sent flying backwards, a nasty wound left along his flank. Rune quickly used his Water element to heal himself, but a few more of the smaller Crepsculi started surrounding him on all sides during this.

"This isn't good..." He said worriedly.

_Use your dark energy to enhance your power, young dragon._

"Alright..."

Rune began summoning forth his pent up reserves of Dark energy just as the Crepsculi were lunging to sink their fangs and talons into his flesh.

A large beam of Red-and-Black flame energy exploded from the young dragon's mouth and tore right through the nearest beast. The Black dragon then quickly tuck-and-rolled away as the other Crepsculi crashed into the spot on the snow that he was standing on a moment ago. Rune quickly turned around and proceeded to blast the remaining monsters with a barrage of Elemental strikes, all of which were augmented beyond their normal capability.

One by one, almost all of the crepsculi were reduced to small amounts of Dark energy, which slowly faded away into nothingness as the monsters cried out in agony.

Soon, there was only one Crepsculi left. Rune pulled back, and then lunged at the beast, ready to slice its throat. Right before the blow landed, the Crepsculi spoke to him.

"..._**Traitor**_..."

"What?" Rune said, shocked.

He was too late to stop himself from slaying the Crepsculi. It fell to the ground, fading into nothingness.

Rune got back onto his feet, panting from the adrenaline that built up from the fight.

_What is it, young dragon? You seem confused._

"That last Crepsculi..."

_What about it?_

"I think it spoke to me."

_A Crepsculi speaking? What did it say?_

"It called me... 'Traitor'."

The Chronicler said nothing for a moment.

_Don't let that anomaly get to you, Rune. Your fight is over, and you have regained your bodyheat. Continue on your quest._

Rune agreed. He put out the fire and took to the skies, flying East. He tried not to think about it, but the Crepsculi would not leave his head.

_Did I imagine it? Crepsculi can't talk, right? But it sounded so real. Oh, I can't let this get to me. I've got to focus on finding Cyrus._

The young dragon shook the thoughts away as he continued on his flight to Mount Erebus.

...

It was Noon.

Bane lied in his great bed, trying to sleep. The Night of Eternal Darkness would arrive in less than five hours, and with it the key to the unstoppable power. After staying awake to organize his forces to begin the invasion of the neigboring settlements, and charging enough darkness to summon a great army of Crepsculi, the Black dragon King decided to get some well-deserved rest until it came time to begin.

All of his plans would soon be complete. Soon, the dragon children of the world would be of the Dark dragon race. Instead of fading away into extinction, his people would live on to inherit the world. Many dragons in Warfang had already begun singing Bane's praises, and a few bards had begun writing 'The Epic of Bane'. He was called the greatest Black dragon to live since The Great Shadow herself!

But despite all of this, Bane was unsatisfied.

The Deep Shadows he sent to find his son Cyrus had failed to do so before the Eclipse. Cyrus was needed for two reasons: One, Bane needed a small amount of Cyrus's blood to communicate with Elenar and tell her his plans. The second reason was of greater importance: Bane needed to pass on the Monarchy to his son once his plan was complete. Where Bane was going, he didn't need rulership.

_Oh, Elenar, _he thought to himself, clutching the jade necklace. _I cannot move on to join you in the Underworld until everything has been completed, and Cyrus has been made King. Or, perhaps Rune, if he truly is alive._

After failing to fall to sleep for a few more minutes, Bane decided it was futile. He got up onto his feet.

"Perhaps I will go up to the Chapel."

A few moments later, Bane flew out of the Dragon Temple and up into The Nexus. The Fortress appeared to be uninhabited from the outside, but within the base, dozens of young dragon cubs and hatchlings were deep in slumber. Several dozen Dark dragonesses had remained in The Nexus, keeping watch over the sleeping children. The Fortress's Biggest building, the Great Black Chapel, was kept up and running by the two dragon Elders that remained alive: Argos and Icarox.

The Black dragon stepped through the front of the Chapel. Each dark dragon donated almost one third of their income towards keeping the Chapel grand. The ceiling was intricately pained with various pictures detailing the most memorable events of The Great Shadow's life, from her egg being stolen, to being freed from the control of an Evil Spirit, to saving the world, to her life as an Elder, and finally to her passing away in her sleep and watching over the dark dragon race from the Underworld.

Benches of the finest Mahogany lined the floor, forming four long rows. At the back of the Chapel was a giant statue of The Great Shadow as she was as an Elder. The statue's wings were extended outwards, shielding her and blocking the Golden Light from the stainless glass windows behind her. There were four stone podiums arranged around the statue, each one with a Fire of a different color. These represented the four Elements that were at her control: Poison, Wind, Shadow, and Fear. The Great Shadow's tail was wrapped around a small black egg with part of the top missing. A Black dragon hatchling was crawling out of the egg and looking up at The Great Shadow. It was a depiction of the hatching of Nexius, the first King of Clan Capricorn.

As it should happen, a mass was currently underway. Nearly every single bench was filled to the brim with Dark dragons, all of whom were locked in a prayer, their forepaws clasped together before them. At the front of the Chapel, Argos and Icarox were standing behind the stone altar that stood a short distance ahead of the statue. The Twins were currently leading the crowd's prayer.

"...May your Wind strengthen our wings, and your Shadow hide us from our enemies. May your Poison weaken our foes, and your Fear send them fleeing from where we stand. By your valiant scales of Deepest Night, may you forever aid us in our plight. May our oppressors look and see, the power we receive from thee. By Heavens above and Underworld below, may our numbers expand and grow..."

"Let all the world rise up and hear..." Argos began.

"... The end of our suffering is drawing near." Icarox finished.

"Amen." The crowd said.

A small smile spread across Bane's face as he listened from his spot at the front of the Chapel. It had been a long time since he heard this prayer

With the prayer finished, all of the dragons opened their eyes and looked at the two Elders.

"May all of our lives be filled with peace and prosperity, brethren." The Twins said together.

The crowd of dragons proceeded to get up from the benches and turned to walk out of the Chapel. When they saw their King standing there, most of the onlookers gasped in surprise, while others froze in confusion.

Bane walked down the middle isle towards the statue.

"Do not worry about me, my brethren." Bane said reassuringly. "Go about whatever business you have. I am here for my own personal matters."

The crowd continued on their way out of the Chapel, while the Black dragon approached the Altar. The Twins gave their King an odd look.

"Lord Bane?", Icarox asked. "What brings you here?"

"Leave the Chapel. I wish to pray...alone."

"Pray?" Argos asked. "That is unlike you, Mi'lord."

Bane cocked an eye at the aged dragon.

"Is there something wrong with wanting to get back in touch with my faith?" He queried.

"Th... That's not what I meant, your Highness." Argos said nervously. "I only meant that you have not set foot in this sacred place in many a moon."

"Well, I'm overdue, then. And I wish to have my privacy."

Argos and Icarox bowed before their king.

"As you wish, mi'Lord." They said in unison.

The two Elders walked to the left of the Chapel, leaving through a back doorway. In te meantime, Bane turned to make sure it was completely empy, save for himself. Once he saw that he was finally alone, he faced the Statue.

At first, he only looked into the statue's face, his eyes focused.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" He asked, partly to himself.

"I remember when I came before an effigy of you on a regular basis, praying to you to guide my way. I placed your name above everyone else's... except one. Elenar was the love of my life. I did not always think so, but I came to believe that you sent her to me as thanks for my good deeds. But then, I had to lose her."

Bane looked up at the statue. He held out his right paw, and his sword appeared in his forepaw in a cloud of smoke.

"When I saw Elenar's body lying before me, I couldn't bear it. I flew to a far off cliffside overlooking an ocean. I lifted my sword before me, ready to slay myself. I looked to the sky and cursed your name, demanding that you give me a sign that life was worth living without her. For a while, nothing happened, so I prepared to stab myself in the chest. But then, who should find me, but my son Cyrus. He was crying from the great loss of the rest of our family, and came to find me. I withdrew my blade and held him in my forelegs, comforting him the best I could.

"So, for a great time after that day, I chose to continue living to watch after my son. I decided to wait for a day when he would be old enough to look after himself. But then, through the aid of an old friend, I discovered how to wield the power of Convexity that slept within the Dark Purple crystal I carried with me since the day I slew Malefor. I began planning a way to save the Dark dragon race, Your people, from fading into nothing."

Bane made his sword vanish.

"But even if the Dark dragons praise me as a Hero, as they did You, I know I am no such hero. I am a man. A man who has made too many mistakes. I should have elected to watch after my sons that day in Warfang, or Rune would never have been tricked by the Darkstalkers into revealing The Hive's location. I know it was him, because when I scry'd Cyrus's memory, I saw no recollection of speaking to Darkstalkers.

"I failed to protect the people of The Hive from the Darkstalkers' attack. I had been crowned King, though I was also still the leader of the Deep Shadows at the time. I should have placed dragons on guard instead of celebrating with Elenar.

"I failed to make sure my entire family had left The Hive during the attack. Had I made sure that Father, Elenar and my sons were the first to leave, they would have survived.

"My people have suffered, all because of me. I am not fit to be called King. That is why, once I have rescued the Dark dragons from extinction, I will pass on rulerhsip to Cyrus, and end my life. I will accept whatever punishment that you deem is fit for me."

Bane bowed before the statue, and stayed in that position, reciting an old prayer to himself.

Suddenly, the four flames around the statue suddenly came to life, wildly growing to great size. Bane jumped as the light coming from the stainless glass windows vanished, turning completely black. A bizarre, ethereal voice spoke to him.

"_You have good intentions, misguided they may be._"

"Who goes there?" Bane growled, looking around.

A great cloud of Darkness appeared inbetween Bane and the stature. A short moment later, a large Black dragoness stepped out of the darkness. She was slightly taller than Bane was, and significantly thinner, despite being well within the later years of her life physically. And yet, she had a powerful, Ornamental appearance.

Bane bared his fangs in anger.

"How dare you intrude this sacred place!" He bellowed. "Who are you?"

"_Do you not recognize me, Bane? Compare me to this statue._"

His anger slightly subsided, Bane glanced from the dragoness to the statue, then back to the dragoness. He gasped.

The dragoness was almost identical to the statue.

She underbelly was a deep Magenta color, as were her great wing membranes. Her eyes were a deep Emerald green. Six silver horns were on her head, almost identical in shape and placement to Bane's horns. Her snout was short and beaklike. She was decorated in various pieces of regal jewelry. Odd symbols decorated her face and sides. And her hide was the same Midnight shade of Black as Bane's.

"Impossible!" He bellowed.

"_It is perfectly possible, Bane._" The dragoness stated."_I am the one you and your people praise and admire so much. I am Cynder, The Great Shadow."_

"No, this is a trick!" Bane's anger flared yet again. "You'll face your death here and now, Imposter!"

Bane's eyes glowed white as he fired a great blast of Fire at Cynder. The Fires on the four podiums jumped from their places and flew towards the dragoness. At first, it appeared that the Flames had consumed her.

But then, the fires were instantly extinguished as a massive Cyclone which surrounded Cynder's body. The force of the cyclone was so great that Bane had to struggle to keep from being sent flying backwards.

The King inhaled a great breath of air, and unleashed a massive blast of Blood Lightning at the dragoness. Cynder countered this by summoning a wall of Shadows around herself, vanishing just as the Red Electricity pierced the wall.

"Where are you, charlatan?" Bane demanded, snarling.

Suddenly, the dragoness appeared directly behind the King.

"_I am here, Bane._"

Before the King could react, Cynder blasted him in the back with a mighty burst of Fear breath. Bane was sent flying forwards, and he crashed into the altar.

As the male Black dragon struggled to his feet, the dragoness walked towards Bane, her eyes starting to glow completely white. Bane tried attacking her with Blood Lightning, but found that his magic had vanished.

Suddenly, he became overcome with great fear for this opponent. He turned around and tried to flee out the far right doors of the chapel. However, a magical barrier of black fire blocked his way. The King then turned to try and flee to the left of the chapel, but then all of the bleachers became engulfed in Black Fire as well. Bane frantically looked around, trying to find a place to flee too, but soon found the dragoness standing before him. Cynder grabbed Bane's neck with a forepaw and lifted him into the air with impossible strength, her great white eyes looking into his.

"_Do you believe that I am Cynder NOW?_"

"Alright, alright!" Bane exclaimed. "I believe you are Cynder, and I apologize for my Impudence!"

Cynder's eyes returned to normal, and the black fire vanished, leaving not a trace that they ever existed. The dragoness set Bane on the floor, the King breathing heavily. He bowed his head to her, still panting.

"Why do you appear to me?" He asked, still partially afraid.

"_Many have tried to convince you to toss this plan of yours to the winds, and yet you persisted. So, with the Eclipse almost here, There was no other choice left, except to come here to speak to you myself._"

"Why should I abandon my plans?" Bane demanded. "I am doing this to save the Dark dragons!"

"_You have done enough for them. You have created a great number of Dark dragon eggs, cubs and hatchlings. They are enough to save your race. End it there."_

"But the Light dragons must pay!"

"_They have already paid more than they should have., Bane I allowed you to have your vengeance on the Darkstalkers, but then you started slaying innocent dragons, which was going much too far. I cannot allow you to slay any more of them._"

"But.."

"_Your people see you as a Hero for the deeds you've done up this point. Stop here. Don't fall so deep into hate that you become the bane of existence in this world._"

"Hmph." The King remarked. "Don't think that you are the first to use my name as a pun."

"_This is a serious matter, Bane. I do not wish to harm you, but I will do whatever it takes to prevent you from slaying anymore innocent light dragons. This is your final chance: Put an end to your plans now and willingly, or you will be forced._"

Bane looked into the eyes of Cynder, seeing the seriousness in her eyes. He knew that if he tried to combat her again, his defeat would be absolute.

Bane knelt before the dragoness a second time.

"What could I possibly do otherwise?" He demanded. "Even if the number of Dark dragons I have created is enough to save our race from extinction, how can my people reintegrate into this world? My taking over of Warfang has surely poisoned many beings' opinions of the Dark dragons.

"And another thing: My people have been looking forward to this ultimate solution for the problem of the Light dragon race. What will my people think if they learn that I decided to forego all of this hard work at the very last minute? They will believe that I'm a coward, and seek retribution. I have to choose between pleasing them, or pleasing You, with both options leading to my own suffering. I am trapped between a rock and a hard place."

"_You dug yourself deep into this problem on your own, Bane."_

The King looked down at the stone floor.

"You would leave me to be doomed? If so, go ahead and kill me now, and end this torment of a life"

Cynder sighed in contempt.

"_What would lead you to believe that I would set you up to fail, Bane?"_

"No matter what direction I take, only pain awaits me." The male Black dragon said solemnly. "There is no hope for me."

"_You believe you have no hope only because you have refused it. Up to this point, I have been guiding several dragons in an attempt to have you see the error of your ways, and return you to the proud man you once were._"

"What do you mean?" Bane asked.

"_When you learned of the revelation that your son Rune still lived, Elza had hoped to fill your soul with happiness. When the dragoness Nerona sought to be by your side, it was so you could have a new family. And your old friend Albanion asked you to let go of the loss of your former wife._"

"All of these events were your doing?"

"_I did not act directly, but I did guide these dragons in the right directions, all to provide you with second chances. I had wished that you would take one of these chances, and redeem yourself on your own. Unfortunately, your own ignorance led you to toss ignore these windows of opportunity. Thus, did this ultimate act of interference happen. Had you not seeked to come to this Chapel, I would not have been able to tell you any of this, and you would have had to suffer far worse than you have up til now._"

The male Black dragon sighed.

"There is something I wish to know, Milady."

"_And what would that be, Bane?_"

"Is what Elza told me true? Is my son Rune truly alive?"

Cynder frowned.

"Milady, I must know: Is my son Rune truly alive?"

"_Yes, though he is about to make a grave mistake. Far graver than what yours would have been._"

"What do you mean?"

"_Bane, your wife is suffering a fate far worse than death. Once I finish telling you the tale, you are to depart for the Mountains of Inferdus immediately, and in secret._"

"Why, Cynder?"

"_If you do not, then you will lose your one and final chance at penance."_

And so, Cynder told Bane everything that had happened, from the true events of The Hive's destr up to that point. He then left The Nexus post haste.

He had little time to act.


	21. Act 2, Chapter 10

Act 2, Chapter 10

Cyrus and the others arrived at the tip of the Mountains of Inferdus halfway through the next morning.

The Mountains were beseiged by a Magic Snowstorm that ceased to end. It was placed in effect to dissuade beings from intruding on the land. But this was no deterrent to Cyrus. He had finally gathered a group that could wield all twelve elements. All he had to do was find the Pit of the Fallen, gather together the needed amount of Gems, and perform the spell.

The group had taken a stop right at the point where the Veros Outskirts met the Mountains of Inferdus. Cyrus didn't like that.

"Why are we stopping?" he protested. "We need to hurry!"

"W may have finally reached the Mountains, your highness," Lilith responded, "but we still have quite the distance to travel"

"The Pit of the Fallen is in the base of Mount Erebus, the highest mountain in the range." Wraith added. "We need to stop and find a good place to rest."

"But what if someone's following us?" Cyrus asked. "We could run into some of Dad's soldiers or those Crepsculi monsters again."

"Or my Dad and his friend Voden", Nellie added. "I agree with Cyrus. We need to get going."

Wraith and Lilith glanced around at the young dragons. Cyrus, Emerald and Nellie looked pretty determined to keep going, but Blank and Tina were struggling to avoid falling asleep.

"What should we do?" The male Deep Shadow asked the female.

"Well, perhaps we _should _keep going for a while longer, at least until we can find a suitable spot to rest." The dragoness answered.

Wraith sighed. He was trying to stay awake as well.

"Alright. We're here, so we might as well get going, right?"

The dragons set forth to get flying. The Orange and Dark Yellow dragons tried to get in the air, but they comically crashed into the ground. Cyrus and Nellie laughed, while Lilith and Wraith flew over to them.

"You two are too tired to fly." The adult dragoness said.

The two young dragons got up onto their feet, trying to stay up.

"Hey, I can still..." Tina said, being cut off by a yawn. "...fly."

Tina's mother rolled her eyes.

"We'll have to carry them for a while, Wraith. You carry Tina, and I'll carry Blank."

The Crimson dragon groaned.

"Fine..."

He lifted Tina up with his forelegs, grumbling the whole time. He had enough trouble flying without sleep. Now he had to carry dead wait. So, he began using a bit of his Space magic to lighten the load.

Meanwhile, Lilith lifted Blank up.

"Um...thank you, Miss Lilith", The Orange dragon said, embarrased.

"You're welcome, little one."

As the Dark Yellow dragoness started to fly again, Emerald and Nellie flew nearby, laughing at Blank's predicament.

"Having fun, Blank?" The Green dragoness asked, smirking.

"Shaddup", he grimaced. After a moment, Blank drifted off to sleep.

As Lilith flew ahead, Wraith followed behind with Tina. Cyrus flew near the Dark Yellow dragoness as she started drifting off to sleep. She silently snored, her front limbs wrapped around Wraith's paws. She looked adorable to the Black dragon.

He wished **he** was the one carrying her.

...

For the next hour or so, the dragons flew through the snow-covered Mountain range.

The mountains seemed to extend for eternity in amost all directions, and were blanketed by the ever-raging blizzard. However, far off in the distance, there was a single mountain that towered high above the others.

That was Mount Erebus, the highest mountain in the entire world.

Several Centuries ago, this land was known as the Mountain of Malefor, home of the Well of Souls. However, after the world was reconstructed, the ruins of the origninal lost mountain were replaced by dozens of other mountans, which dotted the entirety of the Northern edge of the Northern continent. As for the Well of Souls, which was renamed the Pit of the Fallen, a massive chunk of the planet had served as a new structure to hide the Pit. This new structure stood so tall that it penetrated the clouds, and had hundreds of catacombs and chambers built into its lower sections to house an entire race of beings.

This structure recieved the name Mount Erebus, for it was the Darkness that stood over the Underworld.

With the almighty Mountain acting as a guide, getting lost in the Mountains of Inferdus was all but impossible. However, the great winds and blinding cold made it hard to see regardess.

Eventually, Mount Erebus had gotten so close to Cyrus's entourage that it seemed to be hiding around the bend. Satisfied with the distance traveled, Lilith brought the group to a stop in a cave in the side of the nearby mountains. The cave overlooked a small valley far below it.

Once the dragons landed in the cave, the two Deep Shadows lay Blank and Tina down in the deeper side of it, so the cold could not disturb them. Emerald and Nellie chose to lie down a short distance away from them. They had gotten just as tired as already-sleeping dragons during the flight. Wraith and Lilith picked their own spots to rest as well. Cyrus was the only one who wanted to keep going.

"You need to get some rest, your highness", Lilith scolded.

"What if we sleep for too long?" The Prince asked. "What if we become too late?"

"Relax, your highness." The Dark Yellow dragoness reassured. "I'll stay up and keep an eye on the time. I'll wake everyone up in a few hours."

"But-"

"Please, just get some rest, your highness."

Cyrus, tired of both trying to argue and in general, decided to just lay down. He walked over to where Blank and Tina were. He thought about lying down next to Tina for a moment. But just as he was about to rest his head a short distance from hers, the Black dragon heard Lilith clear her throat loudly. He nervously glanced behind himself to find the dragoness looking right at him.

"What do you think you're doing, your highness?" She asked skeptically

"Er, I was just...um, uh..."

Lilith cocked an eye.

"You were just _what_, your highness?"

"Uh...I'm going over there." Cyrus nervousely pointed to the other side of the cave.

"Alright, then." Lilith said.

The Prince walked over to the spot he pointed out, embarassed again.

_This sucks_, he thought, slowly slipping into sleep with the others.

Meanwhile, Lilith looked out the cave, using the Dark energy within her to keep from falling asleep. A grin broke out on her face.

"It would seem I'm going to have to keep a sharp eye on prince Cyrus for the time being."

...

A while later, Blank steadily woke up. He slowly got to his feet, shaking his head and yawning.

_I sure wish I was sleeping in my bed back at home right now, _he thought to himself, grumbling.

The Orange dragon glanced at the front of the cave: Lilith had fallen asleep where she stood. Cyrus was silently sneaking past her and getting ready to fly out of the cave. Getting an idea, Blank snuck over to where Nellie was sleeping and nudged her to wake her up.

"Hey Sis, get up." He said, whispering.

The Blue dragoness opened her eyes, grumbling a little.

"What is it, Blank?" She asked, clearly annoyed.

"Not so loud, not so loud." Her brother whispered.

The Orange dragon glanced over to Cyrus. He was just about to start flying.

"His royal highn-ass is making a break for it", Blank whispered. "Let's follow him."

"Why?"

"Beats me. I just feel like exploring these mountains, and this is a perfect excuse." The Orange dragon smirked.

"Why do you want me to come along?"

"Learn to live a little, Sis."

Nellie sighed.

"Fine, I'll come along."

The Blue dragoness got to her feet, and she and her brother started to walk to the front of the cave. The Prince had already taken off. However, it was surprisingly easy to spot him. His Black hide was a great contrast to the White snow. He could be seen flying down to the valley that was nearby.

"Great, we didn't lose him" Blank said happily. "Let's get movin'."

"Hey, where are you two going?" Someone asked

Blank and Nellie flinched. Tina and Emerald were waking up behind them. It was Emerald who asked the question.

"Where did Runt go?" Tina added.

"Runt?" Nellie asked, confused.

"That's Cyrus's nickname", The Dark Yellow dragoness answered, smirking. "And I think it fits."

Blank chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it does. Anyway, 'Runt' just flew down to that valley. Nellie and I are about to find out why."

"Won't you get into trouble by doing that?" Emerald queried.

"Emmy, we're just going right down there." Blank pointed. "Look, you can even see Cyrus from here. We won't be very far."

"Can I come too?" Tina asked. "All this snow gives me an idea."

"Okay." Nellie answered.

"If you're all going, I might as well come too." Emerald said.

"What if Wraith and Lilith wake up while we're gone?" The Blue dragoness asked. Her brother rolled his eyes.

"Like I said, we're not going far. They'll be able to see us from up here."

The four young dragons silently stepped around Wraith and Lilith and took off, silently following the Prince.

...

Cyrus came to a landing in the small valley clearing.

Snow covered the entirie ground. It was deep enough to hide his paws when he landed, the cold frozen snow stinging his hand. He had gone to land in the valley to get some time to think.

Cyrus glanced up at Mount Erebus standing behind the nearby mountains. The massive landmass made the Black dragon feel like an ant before an elephant. In just a few short hours, his plan will finally be fulfilled.

_I'm almost there, Mother. Just wait a little while longer._

Cyrus started walking fowards a little. He wasn't going anywhere; he just wanted to move around to keep from going numb of shivering. As he did this, he started to daydream...

...

"Alright, Rune, I want you to hit this target with your Fire breath", Wraith said, pointing to a wooden dummy. "Remember: Focus your attention on only the dummy, and think about the power of Fire within you."

Cyrus, Rune, Wraith and Elenar were in Hive Palace's combat training arena.

Rune and Cyrus were seven years old. Elenar decided that it was time for the princes to start their combat training, since their magic was finally starting to develop further. Wraith, one of the younger and more recent members of the Deep Shadows, was selected to be their Magic tutor. Even if the Dark Red dragon only had the Space Element, he had studied the workings of all twelve elements for years, and knew the strengths and weaknesses of each element.

Wraith had decided to start by seeing how adept the princes were with Fire and Wind, the first two elements that Black dragons learn to control. He had set up a line of wood and straw test dummies shaped like Apes. Rune was selected first to test his Fire. Elenar stood watch over on one side of the Arena. Cyrus was standing next to her, anxious to see what would happen.

"Ready, your highness?" Wraith asked. Rune took a deep breath.

"Uh-huh." He answered nervously. Wraith stepped out of the way.

"Okay, then. Strike the dummy with Fire."

Rune shut his eyes and exhaled. A short burst of red flames escaped his mouth and engulfed the Ape. The dummy flailed around like a real ape for a while, but then fell to the floor and exploded into a burst of Gems. Wraith clapped.

"Excellent! You've got a good grasp of Fire for someone your age. Cyrus, it's your turn now."

Cyrus and Rune walked past each other as they traded places.

"Good luck, Cy." Rune whispered. Cyrus only smirked.

"I don't need luck" He whispered back.

Once Cyrus was in place, and a new dummy appeared before him, the Crimson dragon spoke again.

"Cyrus, do the same thing your brother did. Let me know when you're ready."

Cyrus inhaled just like Rune had done.

"I'm ready!" He exclaimed.

"Okay, then light the dummy on fire."

Cyrus focused on the dummy and exhaled as hard as he could. But no flames came out of his mouth.

"Uh..." He said nervously. "Let me try again!"

Cyrus tried several more times, but he couldn't create Fire breath. He didn't even cough up smoke like Rune used to.

Elenar and Wraith were concerned, while Rune struggled to keep from giggling. Cyrus then got angry. He opened his mouth and shot a burst of Wind breath at the dummy, sending it hurtling into the wall.

"Stupid dummy! I know I can make fire! I KNOW I can!"

"Calm down, Cyrus." Elenar said, walking up to him. "You'll learn it in time."

"At the very least," Wraith said, "You've got Wind breath in control. That's better than nothing."

"But I want Fire breath!" Cyrus protested.

"Cy, I don't have Wind breath." Rune said. "So we're the same."

"No, we're not!" The other Black cub yelled.

"What seems to be the problem in here?" Said a voice.

Everyone turned to the entrance to the Arena. Bane walked in, a concerned look on his face. Albanion and Elza were close by.

"Oh, good morning, Prince Bane." Wraith responded nervously. "We've recently begun testing the power of your sons' Fire and Wind magic."

"Oh?" Bane stopped just before the group and cocked an eye. "How well are they doing?"

"Well, It seems that Rune can wield Fire, and Cyrus can wield Wind, but not vice versa."

"Is that right?"

"Seems a tad unusual, to be honest." Albanion said.

Elza glared at the Flora dragon.

"What?" He asked, taken aback.

"There's nothing wrong with it, Albanion." She scolded. "They just need more practice."

Cyrus and Rune walked over to Bane.

"It's not fair, Papa." Cyrus said, frowning. "I want to be able to wield Fire too!"

Bane smiled at his son, ruffling his mane with one of his paws.

"Don't worry about it, Cyrus. You'll learn to wield Fire when you're ready."

"You can wield both Fire and Wind, right Papa?" Rune asked.

"Of course, Rune. Would you boys like me to show you what I can do?"

"Is that wise, Bane?" Elenar asked. Bane looked at her incredulously.

"Why wouldn't it be? I'll just be demonstrating to our boys what can be done with Fire and Wind mastered." Bane turned back to look at Rune and Cyrus. "So, what do you say?"

"Sure, Papa!" They exclaimed in unison.

"Excellent." The adult Black dragon turned to face the Dark Red one. "Wraith, activate the advanced level of the training dummies."

"Yes, your higness." Wraith replied.

Albanion, Elza, Elenar, Cyrus and Rune walked outside of the combat ring and stood by the far wall. Wraith walked up to another wall, pressed several buttons on a keyboard, and flipped a switch.

Bane stood in the middle of the Arena as at least a dozen Large Ape dummies appeared, surrounding him. Each of the dummies howled and roared like real apes, and each held either a club, sword, or axe. The Black dragon just stood there, unmoving, as the dummies charged at him.

Then, in one motion, Bane opened his mouth and spun in a circle, a giant blast of White-hot Fire bursting from his mouth. All twelve of the dummies were engulfed in the flames, and ran about in the ring in agony. Next, the Black dragon spun around once again, this time blowing a great green Cyclone from his mouth. Each dummy was sent flying into air and crashed violently into a wall, exploding into Gems upon the collision.

Rune and Cyrus were awestruck, while Albanion, Elza and Elenar clapped.

"Well done, your highness." Wraith said, pressing more buttons. Rune and Cyrus ran up to Bane and hugged his forelegs.

"That was amazing, Papa!" Rune exclaimed. Bane smiled again.

"When you boys get older, you'll both be able to do the same thing." He said.

"But I want to do that now!" Cyrus complained. Elenar walked over to the three Black dragons.

"Don't try to rush, Cyrus. You'll be able to do anything with magic when you're older."

"Anything?" He asked.

"Yes, anything." Elenar said, smiling.

...

_Anything._ Cyrus's mind drifted back to the present. _Here's one thing I'll do with my magic: Raise you from the dead._

Suddenly, somehting cold struck Cyrus in the back of the head and stung him there. He spun around angrilly, charging up his magical energy for an attack.

"Who did that?" He shouted angrilly.

He saw Blank a good distance away, holding a snowball and smirking.

"Did you just throw a snowball at me?" The Black dragon yelled.

"No..." Blank said. "..but _she _did!"

The Orange dragon pointed to his left.

"Huh?" Cyrus asked, confused.

Suddenly, a snowball struck the right side of Cyrus's face. He turned to face the assailant, and saw Tina standing a short distance away, laughing.

"Gotcha, Runt!" She smirked. Cyrus growled. He reached down and made a snowball of his own.

"You're so going to get it, Ti-"

He was cut off when yet another snowball hit him again, this one coming from behind. He turned around to see Emerald a short while behind him, grinning.

"I haven't had a good snowball fight in, well, ever!" Emerald exclaimed.

"I don't want a snowball fight!" Cyrus protested.

"Then it'll be easier for us!" Tina smirked.

The Prince snarled, and prepared to throw his snowball at Emerald, only to see a snowball hit her in the face already.

"Hey!" The Green dragoness protested, wiping the snow from her face. "Blank, what was that for?"

"Sorry, Emmy, it's boys vs. girls!" The Orange dragon said, preparing another snowball as he spoke. He nodded at Cyrus.

"This game is stupid, but fine, I'll play along" The black dragon sighed.

He spun around to throw a snowball at Tina, but realized something.

"Wait! What about Nellie?"

"I don't want to play", The Blue dragoness answered. She was standing a small distance away, next to a tree. "I'll just be referee."

"How come?" Tina asked.

"I don't like snow."

"But snow is made of Water!" Cyrus exclaimed. "That's your element, right?"

"Don't mind her, guys." Blank said. "When Nellie was a cub, she used to hate taking baths too."

"A Water dragoness that doesn't like Water..." Cyrus said, rolling his eyes. "Glenhaven must be a pretty strange city."

Blank hit Cyrus with his snowball, right in his snout.

"Ow!" The Prince protested, rubbing his snout. "I thought you said boys vs. girls!"

"THAT was for insulting my sister." The Orange dragon said seriously. Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I'm sorry! Sheesh!"

...

For a good while, Blank and Cyrus played against Emerald and Tina, snowballs flying allover the place. At one point, the two teams decided to build forts from the snow: the boys called theirs Warfang, and the girls called theirs Faeshrine.

"Commander Blank, the forces of the Faeshrine Trading Company are advancing!" Cyrus yelled to the Orange dragon, tossing snowballs as Emerald tried to get closer.

"Defend the city at all costs!" Blank declared. He tossed a few rounds of snowballs of his own.

"The city of Faeshrine will fall to the FTC!" Emerald shouted. From behind her fort, Tina tossed a boulder-sized snowball into the air and towards the boys. Cyrus yelped and jumped out of the way as the snowboulder crashed into the side of the boys' fort.

"No fair!" Cyrus shouted angrilly. Tina smirked.

"You never said we couldn't use magic, Runt!"

"Oh, is that right?" Blank asked sarcastically. He jumped around the boys' fort and ran forwards, blasting the girls' fort with his Fire breath and melting it into a puddle.

"NO FAIR!" The girls exclaimed in unison. Blank laughed.

"Hey, we can use magic, right?" Cyrus asked, smirking and shrugging.

"But he can breath fire!" Tina protested.

"And **you** have telekinesis!" Blank snapped.

The four young dragons got into a heated debate, while Nellie watched from her spot underneath her tree. She sighed.

_If Rune was here, maybe I'd be playing with them._ Nellie knelt her head, a few tears starting to form. _Oh, I hope you're okay, Rune._

As The Blue dragoness watched the snowball fight continue, she reached into her satchel and pulled out a scroll, a Quill pen, and a thick hardcover book. She placed the book down flat before her, and began using it as a flat surface so she could draw on her scroll.

For a good while, Nellie worked on an intricate drawing of herself, and Rune.

The two young dragons were standing on a cliffside. They were huddled up close to each other, and holding each other's forepaw. The drawing of Nellie was her forehead up against the Purple dragon's chin, who was smiling. The Blue dragoness's mouth was drawn so that she was saying something, but the real life Nellie was too embarrassed to write down what it was.

Ever since Rune became Nellie's adoptive brother, she couldn't help but be friendly towards him. The fact that he didn't seem to remember anything about his past made her desire to help him find out what it was. She couldn't help but develop feelings that were more than just friendship.

However, the Blue dragoness could never bring herself to admit these feelings, to Rune, or anyone else. She feared that, since Rune was her adoptive brother, the desire to be his would be greatly frowned upon by all. So, she kept her feelings hidden away, and only had them materialize in the form of her drawings.

Nellie sighed once again.

_I miss you._

The Blue dragoness lifted her head up from her scroll to watch the snowball fight once again, and froze in shock.

A great number of black pools started to appear all around in the valley. A great number of Black-hided monsters, the Crepsculi, started crawling out of them, hissing and growling. The four others were too busy arguing to notice the monsters.

_Oh-no!_

Suddenly, the Blue dragoness heard growling coming from nearby. She turned around and saw three monsters standing a few feet away from her. Right before they could lunge at her, Nellie instinctively unleashed a beam of Ice breath, freezing them in place. The dragoness then turned back around and ran towards the others.

"Look out!" She exclaimed. The others stopped arguing and looked around.

"Crepsculi!" Tina shouted.

The beasts charged in to attack.

"We've gotta fight back!" Cyrus yelled.

The five young dragons leapt into battle: Nellie fought alongside her brother, while the others fought solo. The valley became filled with bursts of shouting, growling, slashing, and magic exploding.

...

High above the mountain range, Rune was getting closer and closer to Mount Erebus.

He had managed to concentrate only on getting to the mountain for a while now, but once again his thoughts floated back to what the Crepsculi said earlier.

_Traitor, _he thought. _It called me traitor. There's no mistaking it._

"Chronicler?" He asked.

_Yes, young dragon?_

"Can a Crepsculi talk?"

_Not under normal circumstances, no._

"Oh, I see."

_However, if the spirit that inhabits the Crepsculi knew the living being it was facing, it is possible for the Crepsculi to remember enough of its mortal life to communicate with that living being._

"If that's true, why would...?"

The Black dragon was interrupted by the sounds of growling and snarling close by.

A Crepsculi claw flew into view from behind, inches away form Rune's neck. Several more flew into view as well.

"WHAT? Where did THEY come from?" He shouted.

_Fight, Rune. FIGHT!_

The young dragon swung his body around to attack the Crepsculi. He unleashed several blasts of Fire and Lightning at the beasts. As some of them died, the others started speaking.

"_**...Traitor...**_"

"_**...You killed us...**_"

Rune froze in shock.

_Why are you stopping, Rune? Fight them!_

"They say **I** killed them. But that would mean..."

The Black dragon started to breathe heavily. He swerved away as several more Crepsculi tried to attack him.

_Focus your energy, young dragon._

"...the spirits that possess these beasts...they were..."

Rune's mind flashed back to the day The Hive fell. Dragons of both Light and Dark were screaming in agony.

_Focus, Rune. Don't let fear consume you._

Suddenly, the scales around Rune's eyes started to change completely white, and a Purple aura surrounded his body.

"NO!" He screamed in anger.

The young dragon immediately started attacking the Crepsculi with unnatural speed, the aura around him growing deeper.

"_**...Traitor...**_"

"SILENCE!" Rune snarled. He attacked with a massive volley of Black-and-Purple flames, striking multiple Crepsculi at once and burning them into nothing within seconds.

_Yes. Destroy them all, young dragon. Don't let them have power over you. Take power over THEM, or you will die._

But when Rune wasn't looking, a few Crepsculi grappled Rune's wings, causing him to fall. He tried to tear them away to get free, but found himself plummeting to the ground.

"RELEASE ME! NOW!" He demanded.

But it was in vain.

He hurtled to the ground, crashing violently into the snow-filled valley below him.

...

**And so, Act II draws to a close.**

**Will the Guardians and Deep Shadows make in time to stop Cyrus from resurrecting Malefor by accident? What was held in that mysterious book in Ignitus's possession, and why doesn't he want anyone to see its contents? Why is Rune suddenly changing White and glowing Purple?**

**Find out all of this and more, in Act III of...**

**The Legend of Rune: Rising Fears FINAL MIX.**

**Please be sure to Review my chapter.**

**Tenebra ecce Veritas.**


	22. Interlude 2

Interlude

Five years ago...

It was early in the morning. Rune made his way slowly across the Arcus desert.

The young cub's entire body was covered in cuts and bruises he had gotten during his trip. His mane and scales were caked in dirt and Desert sands were burning his paws, and the Boiling sun blazed his scales. He had become light-headed from his dehydration, and he could barely see a few yards in front of himself. He panted heavilly, and his heart had become quite heavy.

Ever since Rune fled from the ruins of The Hive, he had been wearing a Shroud of Darkness to hide the fact he was a dark dragon. The spell was no big deal at first, but after several weeks of fleeing, it was starting to take a toll on him. He had almost no energy to spare.

"I gotta... keep... going..." He wheezed weakly.

Rune desperately needed to find some food and Water. He hadn't eaten anything in days. The cub just couldn't bring himself to kill smaller, non-sentient animals. But that abstinence was finally coming back to bite him on the ass. And as for the lack of water, there was none to be found anywhere on the Desert for miles around.

The cub collapsed on the ground, unable to walk anymore. He tried crawling, but eventually he ran out of energy to even move.

"It's... all... over..." He said sadly.

Rune just laid in the desert sand and curled up in a ball. He closed his eyes in hopelessness, and quietly slipped into unconsiousness...

...

"Will you hurry, Hontus!" Seraph shouted to her mate. "We need to get back to Glenhaven before nightfall."

"I'm keeping up with you just fine, love." The Red dragon said, smiling. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to get home."

Hontus and Seraph had left Glenhaven a few days before to visit some relatives of Seraph's in the Aechos Valley to the West of the Arcus Desert. They had to leave immediately, so their children Blank and Nellie were left under the care of their friend Voden.

After the family matter was resolved, the two took a detour to the Fractured Hills to purchase some supplies that were out of stock elsewhere. Once they finally got what they needed, the couple flew straight home to Glenhaven.

"It's about time that the ordeal with your Father's Will was finally dealt with, Seraph." Hontus stated. "Why does your family insist upon agruing over something like that for so long?"

Seraph sighed sadly.

"I'm still surprised I was included in the Will." The Water dragoness said solemnly. "Considering how Father disapproved of you and practically disowned Blankridge, It seems like trickery that my name would be listed alongide Mother's and Nymph's."

The Red dragon frowned.

"Can't you be happy, love?" He asked. "You've found out that your father DID still care for you after all this time, just like how the rest of your family still saw you, and our kids, as part of their clan."

"Zelken diapproved of you just as much as Father did."

"The Royal advisor? Well nuts to that man. It's not like his word ever mattered to anyone anyway. He's nothing more then a snob."

Seraph giggled a little.

"I suppose you're right."

"There, see?" The Fire dragon asked. "There's nothing to be sad about, love."

"Yeah, you're right." The Water dragones sighed. "Let's just continue on for home."

The two dragons resumed focusing on south flying.

Seraph took to passing the time by glancing down at the desert below her. She didn't see much that was out of the ordinary.

A few patches of cacti and other plantlife bloomed all around the Desert in small areas. Several groups of rabbits, meerkats, and various other desert-dwelling fauna were traveling about, following their instincts and using the gifts that evolution granted them to survive the harsh climate of the land. On a nearby spot on the sands, various Scarabs and other bugs were climbing allover what looked like a Purple dragon cub.

A Purple dragon cub?

"Hontus, turn around!" Seraph shouted. "We just passed over a dragon cub!"

"What?"

"No time for questions!" The dragoness snapped, spinning around to face the opposite direction. "Hurry! He could be dying!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" The Fire dragon shouted.

The two dragons double-backed on their path until Seraph spotted the cub she noticed earlier. She immediately came to a landing and started wiping the insects off the cub's body.

"By the ancestors!" Hontus shouted, taken aback. "What's a cub doing way out here by itself?"

"How should I know, Hontus?" Seraph demanded.

Once the bugs were gone, the dragoness finally got a good look at the cub.

It was a male, with a Yellow underbely and a ragged Red mane. He was covered in large amounts of mud, sand, and patches of his own blood.

"Oh, the poor little thing..." Seraph said, nearly in tears.

She lifted the cub off the desert ground and started wiping sand away from his wounds. She then used her magic to create some water in her forepaw to wash away the mud and blood from his hide.

"Do you think he's...?" Hontus asked, concerned.

"I don't know." The dragoness answered. "His body is warm, but that could just be from the sun's heat."

Seraph poured a small bit of ice cold water on the boy's forehead to cool him down some. The cub instinctively flinched from the freezing sting, and he gasped slightly.

"He's alive!" The dragoness declared.

Seraph opened the cub's mouth a little to pour some water down his throat. The boy chocked slightly, but then started swallowing the water.

A short moment later, the young cub opened his eyes a little, and looked upwards into Seraph's.

"Help...me..." He begged, before slipping into unconsciousness again.

"Hontus, we need to get this boy to Glenhaven immediately!" The dragoness exclaimed.

"Right!" The Fire dragon agreed.

Seraph held the cub in her forelegs, and she and her mate two took off for Glenhaven with incredible speed.

...

A few days later.

The regular school day had finally come to an end for the younger students at Glenhaven Palace.

As the bell rang, all of the cubs were released from the classes and walked out onto the front stoop of the Grand palace and were picked up by their parents. Hidden among the crowd of happy, chatting young dragons were a trio of three: A Fire cub, a Water cub, and a Lightning cub.

The Fire cub was Blankridge, and the Water cub was Nellie. The Lightning cub, a girl, was Nellie's best friend: Roxanne.

Roxanne was about a year older than Nellie and Blank, roughly eight years old. She had a Bright Yellow hide, and a Grass Green underbelly. She had vibrant Topaz eyes, and a short, Electric Blue mane. She also had four short, Teal horns shaped like Lighting bolts, two larger ones just above her eyes, and four smaller ones behind her jaw. She wore a Brown satchel around her neck.

"Boy, am I glad to be out of there!" Blank declared.

"You're always happy when school ends, Blank." Nellie scolded.

"That's because it's so boring." The Orange cub stated. "Why do they want us to learn all this stuff about Numbers and Words? It's not like we'll need it when we grow up."

"You know, Blank," Roxanne said, "I think you could finish school in your sleep!"

"You do?" The Orange and Blue cubs asked, surprised. The Yellow cub smirked.

"Yep! Because you sleep through every class!"

The two girls started laughing, while Blank grimaced.

"That's not funny, Rox."

After Nellie and Roxanne had settled down, the continued on their way outside.

"So, I heard your Mommy and Daddy found someone out on the Desert when they were flying home." The Yellow cub stated. "Is he alright?"

"I think so..." Nellie stated. "Daddy said he was brought to the Clinic so they can make him all better?"

"Who is he?"

"We don't know." Blank answered. "But Mom said that it's a Purple dragon cub, about as old as Nellie and me."

"Oh." Roxanne replied. "I hope he's okay..."

The three cubs walked out onto the steps of the Palace.

Blank and Nellie saw their father Hontus standing a short distcance from the front stoop. A large, Brown-hided Earth dragon named Seamus, Roxanne's father, was nearby, talking to the Fire Guardian.

Seamus was the owner of a small tavern on the southern side of Glenhaven. He had a thick, round hide, and a Grass Green Underbelly. His had three thick, Teal-colored Horns, and Dark Green eyes. He wore a set of leather Gloves on his forepaws.

"..And he's been down in the clinic ever since." Hontus finished saying.

"Oh dear." Seamus frowned.

Nellie and Blank ran up to their father, while Roxanne approached hers. All three cubs were smiling.

"Hi, Papa!" Roxanne greeted, hugging Seamus's foreleg.

"Hello, dear." He replied.

"Is the Purple boy awake yet, Dad?" Blank asked Hontus.

"Well, not yet..." The Fire Guardian answered.

"Aww..." Nellie said sadly.

"..But, we're all going to see him." Hontus finished.

The Fire and Water cubs' eyes lit up.

"We are?" Blanke exclaimed.

"Uh-huh. We're heading there straight from here."

"Can I go to, please?" Roxanne asked the Fire Guardian. "Uh, I mean, if that's okay with you, Papa...?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind bringing you, dear..." Hontus answered. "But only if you father thinks it's okay for you to come along.

Seamus thought for a moment.

"Well, I need to go back to the tavern to keep an eye on things..." He stated.

"Pleeeease, Papa?" The Yellow cub pleaded, giving big doe-eyes.

"Oh, alright." Seamus said, smiling. "You may go see that Purple dragon, Roxanne. But only if you promise to be good for Hontus."

"I'll be good!" Roxanne said quickly.

"Alright, then." The Fire Guardian declared. "Let's all get going. We don't want to keep Seraph waiting."

"Okay!" The three cubs shouted in unison.

"I'l bring your daughter home later tonight, Seamus." The Red dragon stated.

"Of course." The Earth dragon nodded.

Hontus knelt down so that the three cubs could climb onto his back. Once they were all holding on tightly, the Fire Guardian took off into flight and headed for the Clinic.

...

Rune slowly woke from his slumber.

He found himself lying on a large, soft mattress near a windosill. His head was on a pillow, and a blanket had been draped over his body.

Upon looking around, he saw that he was in what appeared to be a large room in a hospital, or maybe a clinic. The cub also found that his hide and mane had been cleaned of the built up blood and mud; his Purple scales now glistened in the sunlight from the window. Various parts of his hide were covered in small cloth bandages, presumably to mend his wounds.

_Where am I?_, Rune wondered, confused.

"Oh, your're finally awake." Someone asked.

The Purple cub turned his head to the right and saw a female Cheetah nurse and an adult Water dragoness standing nearby. The two approached the mattress that Rune was lying on, and looked down at him.

"How are you feeling, little one?" The nurse asked.

Rune didn't answer. He just turned and faced the other direction.

"It's alright", The dragoness said soothingly. "You can trust us, sweetie. Can you tell us your name?"

"No." Rune said blankly, still looking away.

"You can't, or you don't want to?" The nurse queried.

"The second one!" The cub stated.

"There's no need to be defensive, little one." The dragoness replied. "We just want to help you."

"I don't care." Rune spat.

"Can't you please look at us at least?" The nurse asked.

"Go away." Rune sneered, hiding his face under a pillow.

The dragoness frowned.

"Oh dear."

"I guess he just doesn't want to talk." The nurse said. "Whatever happened to him must've been a terrible experience for him."

"We'll come back later and try again, then." The dragoness decided. "Maybe he'll open up then."

Upon hearing this, Rune grabbed the blanket and pulled it over himself. Shortly afterwards, he heard the two strangers turn around and walk away.

The cub just lay there with the pillow over his head for a few more minutes.

_Should I tell them my name when they come back? _He thought worriedly._ Will they see through my disguise?_

Rune decided to just go back to sleep. He shut his eyes, and slowly drifted to slumber...

...only to be woken up by the sounds of four pairs of paws against the floor and approaching him. One pair belonged to an adult, while the other three sounded like they belonged to small children.

"Is that him?" He heard somebody, a girl, ask.

"Why is he hiding, Daddy?" A second girl added.

"Your Mother says that he doesn't want to talk to anyone." An adult voice said.

The Purple cub opened his eyes.

_Who's coming now?_

Rune slowly lifted his pillow up, and found himself looking into a pair of maroon-colored eyes, which looked back at him.

The Purple cub jumped up with a start. It was a small Blue dragon cub, a girl about his age. An Orange cub, a boy was standing next to her.

"You woke him up, Nellie." Another girl, a Yellow one, said, smirking.

"Who are you?" Rune asked. The Blue dragoness smiled.

"I'm Nellie." She answered. "That's my friend Roxanne, the man behind us is my Daddy, Hontus, And this is my brother, Blank"

"'Blank'?" he Purple cub asked, confused.

"It's short for Blankridge." The Blue cub clarified.

"Don't tell him that!" Blank protested. Nellie and Roxanne laughed.

"Would you rather we tell him we like to call you 'Blanky' sometimes?" She chided.

"Uh, no..."

The adult Red dragon chuckled.

"So anyway, what's **your** name, kid?" The Yellow cub asked Rune.

"My name? It's..." He got nervous for a moment, but then decided that there wasn't any harm in telling them the truth. "..Rune."

"Rune? That's unusual." Blank said.

"Blank! That's not nice!" Nellie protested.

"I was named after my great grandfather." Rune stated. "He was named Runileon."

"Runileon? Cool!" Roxanne exclaimed.

"Is the purple cub awake yet?" A voice asked.

The Blue dragoness and the nurse from before walked into view.

"Hello..." Rune said to them, nervously.

"Are you okay to talk now, sweetie?" The adult dragoness asked.

"..Yes." The Cub answered.

The dragoness walked around the opposite side of the mattress and sat down.

"My name is Seraph", She said, smiling. " I see you've met my husband, Hontus, and our children, Blank and Nellie, and their friend Roxanne. What's your name, little one?"

"He said his name is 'Rune', Mommy." The Blue cub answered.

"Rune?" Seraph repeated. "What a sweet little name."

"Uh, can you tell me where I am?" The Purple cub asked.

"You're in a clinic, in the city of Glenhaven." Seraph said. "Hontus and I found you nearly dead out in the desert. You begged for help, so we brought you here. You've been asleep for at least three days since then."

"Three days?"

"Yes." Hontus answred. "Now, if you're willing, there are some people we'd like you to come talk to. Is that okay?"

"Uh... Okay", Rune replied.

He decided to go along with what the adults told him to do. He'd do anything to keep from being found out as a Dark dragon.

"Can I get something to eat first?" The Purple cub asked.

"Sure, sweetie." Seraph answered. "We'll take you to the grasslands on the East side of the city."

"Do you know how to hunt?" Hontus asked.

"A little. I'm still learning." Rune answered. The Red dragon smiled.

"If you have too much trouble, I'll catch something for you. Is that alright?"

"Yes, sir."

The two adult dragons chuckled.

"There's no need to call me 'Sir', Rune. Just Hontus will do. Come on, let's get going."

...

About an hour had passed.

Rune had been brought to the Glenhaven Palace. The cub found himself sitting in a big chamber across the room from three dragon Elders: Telus, Krystallos, and Attonita.

Rune was immediately intimidated by the sight of them: The dragon elders weren't a big as his grandfather was, but they still gave off an aura of incredible power. He was afraid that if he said the wrong thing, even just once, one of them would storm forewards and crush him like a bug.

Hontus and Seraph were standing on either side of Rune as the Elders began asking him questions.

"What is your name, little one?" Telus asked.

"R..Rune, sir." He answererd, trembling slightly. The Earth Elder smiled.

"There's no need to be o formal, young Rune. You're not on trial."

"Do you have any parents, young one?" Krystallos, the Water elder, queried.

Rune tilted his head down, seemingly in self-pity. He thought up a lie, quick as a flash.

"I don't have any parents." He said, sounding ashamed of himself. "I'm just an orphan."

The three Elders looked amongst themselves. Then, the Lightning Elder, Attonita, asked the next few questions.

"What happened to them?"

"I don't know. I've been wandering by myself for as long as I can remember."

"How did you end up in the Arcus desert?"

"I was just traveling, trying to find a new place to stay. I had gotten into a few fights with wild animals while in the Desert. I wasn't able to find any food for days. I guess I eventually passed out from the heat. When I woke up, I found myself on a bed in that clinic."

"You have quite the sophisticated vocabulary for someone your age." Telus stated.

Rune flinched.

_Oh no!_, he thought. _Did I just give myself away?_

"Perhaps he used to be in a family of nobles before ending up as an orphan." Krystallos theorized.

"He may be suffering from amnesia." Attonita added.

The Cub took a breath of relief in his head. Telus spoke again.

"Rune, we will do our best to reunite you with any blood relatives you may have. In the meantime, you are welcome to live in Glenhaven."

"Thank you, Telus." Rune replied, bowing his head.

"While you are here, we'll enroll you in the Academy that we run here in the Palace, so you can have an education. We'll also have you adopted, so you aren't left to feel alone. How does that sound to you, Rune?"

_I could use an education. I like history._

"It sounds good to me." Rune answered.

_I don't know about being adopted, though._

"Now," Attonita said to the other Elders, "We need to decide on a family to adopt him."

Hontus looked at Seraph, who nodded. The Fire Guardian stepped fowards.

"Um, excuse me, my Lords and Lady..." He said.

"Yes, Hontus, what is it?" The Earth Elder queried.

"My wife and I have been thinking it over, and would be more than happy to adopt Rune into our family."

The Elders looked between themselves, then looked at the cub.

"Do you accept their offer, Rune?" Krystallos asked.

Rune looked up at two adults standing on either side of him.

_Well, they saved my life. Maybe it won't be so bad to be adopted by them._

The cub turned back to the Elders, and nodded.

"Yes." He answered.

Hontus and Seraph smiled.

"Excellent." Telus said. "That makes things a little easier for us. Now then, if you do not mind, the three of us are curious as to what Elements of Magic you control, Rune."

...

After several hours had passed, and several pages of paperwork were filled out, Hontus, Seraph, Blank and Nellie took Rune to their home, a large dweling in one of the higher stone mounds on the outer ring of the city.

After showing him around their home, Hontus and Seraph took the Purple cub to see an unused chamber in the far side of their dwelling. It was a big empty room with a large window that had a view of the Palace of the Elders in the distance.

"After I clean the room a little", Hontus said, "This can be your room."

"Thank you." Rune replied, smiling slightly. He hadn't smiled in a long time.

"You're welcome, Rune." The Fire dragon said, smiing back. "I need to go get something. I'll be right back."

Hontus turned and left the room. Rune turned back around and approached the window. As the cub looked on at the city, Seraph stepped forwards towards the middle of the room, watching him.

"I know we're not your real parents, Rune." She said. "But we'll take good care of you, just like our other children."

Rune didn't say anything. Seraph wacthed him for a moment, and then turned ot walk out of the chamber.

"Um, Seraph.." The cub began.

"Yes, sweetie?" She asked.

Rune started to cry. He turned around and ran to Seraph, hugging her foreleg.

"Thank you for saving my life." He said, sniffling. "I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for you two."

Seraph looked down at the cub, smiling. She wrapped her forelegs around him, and hugged him tightly.

"You're welcome, Rune."

...

It was a few weeks later.

An aged Purple dragon in a brown robe stood watch in the grasslands of Glenhaven, hiding behind a large group of trees. He was watching a group of five young cubs, a Green, a Yellow, an Orange, a Blue, and finally a Purple, fly down to hunt some sheep. The old dragon smiled as he watched the Purple one feed.

Urobos had recently found his grandson Rune, alive and well, living in the city of Glenhaven. This was a perfect place for him. He was far away from the Mountains of Inferdus. Malefor's grip over him was now so weak, it practically didn't exist.

The old dragon felt a presence speak to him.

It was Ignitus.

_Glenhaven is a good place for young Rune_, The Chronicler stated.

"Yes", Urobos agreed. "He may have lost a family, but he's gained another. This won't last forever, but he's happy now. And if he is happy, I am happy as well."

_What shall you do now, Urobos? Will you stay in Glenhaven and watch after him?_

"There's no need. The Elders of Glenhaven, as well as his adoptive parents, will do a good job watching over Rune on their own. While he is living here, I believe I will go on a journey."

_A journey? Where to?_

"I believe I will do as my son Bane did, and travel the world. I may learn to master magic that I couldn't before."

_Do you mean Conxevity?_

"Perhaps. But my first stop shall be the Mountains of Kilon, to the East."

_Then you had best get going, Urobos. You have a long journey ahead of you._

Urobos nodded in agreement.

He turned to walk fowards, away from the children. But right before he did, the old dragon glanced at Rune, who was laughing along with his friends over who knows what.

"Good Luck, Rune." He said, smiling. Urobos then turned and walked fowards.

He would not see his Grandson for five years. And when he finally did, a horrible revelation awaited.


	23. Act 3, Chapter 1

Act 3, Chapter 1

Cyrus and the others did their best to fight the Crepsculi.

Blank burned several Crepsculi into ashes. Nellie froze other ones in place, and Emerald used her Earth breath to smash them. Tina was more creative: She lifted several Crepsculi into the air and held them in place. She then slashed at their throats as they floated helplessly. Meanwhile, Cyrus used his Sound element to Scream at a frequency that aggravated the other Crepsculi, yet left the other young dragons unharmed.

The five young dragons were doing a good job fighting the Crepsculi off, but the beasts wouldn't stop appearing. For every one that was slain, it seemed like another one, or sometimes even two, would appear to take its place.

"This isn't good." The Green dragoness said. "I'm running out of Energy!"

"I'm in trouble too!" Blank yelled. He had a good number of slashes allover his body, and was bleeding from each wound.

"We need help!" Nellie shouted. She was struggling to get far enough away from some Crepsculi so she could freeze them. The Blue dragoness was getting more and more tired by the second.

"Don't give up, guys!" Tina exclaimed. She and Cyrus were the only ones still able to fight.

"This would go a lot easier if Wraith or Lilith were here!" The Prince said, dodging an attack from a Spider-like Crepsculus.

"Or better yet, both!" Blank shouted, coming to a stop on the ground besides Emerald.

"Why don't we run to them for help?" The Green dragoness suggested.

"The beasts would just chase after whoever went to get them." Tina pointed out.

"Well, can't we all go, then?" Nellie asked.

"I can barely move as it is." Blank complained. "Plus, running away is for cowards!"

Suddenly, something strange happened.

Not too far off, something plummeted out of the sky and crashed into the snow. It was covered in Crepsculi, so Cyrus couldn't tell what it was.

"Did you guys see that?" The Prince exclaimed.

"What?" Blank and Emerald asked

"I saw it!" Tina shouted, nodding to Cyrus.

"Me too. What was it?" Nellie asked. The Black dragon jumped over several attacking Crepsculi and ran towards the crashsite.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

Nellie decided to give up on the Crepsculi she was fighting and ran to join Cyrus.

"I'm going too!"

...

It wasn't a smooth landing for Rune.

He had temporarily lost most of his hearing; it was replaced by a loud ringing, which irritated him. His vision had become incredibly fuzzy: The Crepsculi appeared to be nothing but black blurs in the foreground. It didn't help that the snow around him was completely white, rendering his vision all but useless.

But Rune's anger did not fade away. In fact, as soon as he was able to stand upright once again, he flew back into his frenzy, striking at the Crepsculi.

One by one, Rune struck the monsters down, watching as they appeared to dissolve into white against the blurry snow. He snarled like a wild animal, his determination as solid as stone. The young dragon did not realize that he had an ever-thickening Purple aura surrounding him, for it was just behind his field of vision. Most of his head was slowly changing white, matching the color of the snow.

During Rune's flurry of attacks at the Crepsculi that surrounded him, he thought he heard something other than a Crepsculus.

"What's that?" Said a nearly inaudible voice.

The young dragon turned around to see what looked like another Crepsculus slowly approaching him. It seemed shaped differently from the other blurs somehow. But Rune didn't care. He immediately charged and pounced on the beast.

"Stop!" The beast seemed to shout. But Rune wasn't about to listen.

He tried to kill the Black blur by slicing away at its flesh, but found that it was somehow stronger and faster than the others. It was also almost Rune's size, if a bit smaller. Rune soon found himself wrestling with the beast, rolling around in the snow with it. The young dragon tried his best to get the best of it, though that wasn't easy task.

Eventually, Rune found himself victorious. He had managed to force the beast onto its back. He used his paws to force the Crepsculus's limbs to the ground on either side of it, immobilizing the beast. Unfortunately, Rune found himself too tired to go for the kill just yet. So, he just stood over his helpless opponent, slowly catching his breath. As he did this, his hearing and vision slowly returned to normal. The purple aura vanished, and his hide became completely Black once again.

Rune soon found himself pinning down a very surprised looking Black dragon.

"Rune?" The stranger asked, sounding surprised.

Rune became confused. He got off the dragon and slowly backed away.

"Who are you?" He asked. The other Black dragon got onto his feet.

"Rune, it's me! Cyrus!" The strange boy said.

"Cyrus?" Rune asked, amazed.

"Rune?" asked a familiar voice nearby. Rune turned his head to see where it came from. Of all things, Nellie came into view.

"Rune, it IS you!" She shouted

"Nellie?"

The Blue dragoness ran over and hugged Rune tightly.

"Rune, you're okay!"

"Um, hi, Nellie." He said, struggling in the Blue dragoness's grip.

"Hey, we could use some help over here!" An unfamiliar female shouted from across the way.

Rune saw three young dragons, an Orange, a Green, and a Dark Yellow, fighting against a swarm of Crepsculi.

"Oh no!" He yelled. The Black dragon broke free of Nellie and charged at the monsters

"Rune, wait!" Cyrus shouted. He and Nellie trailed after Rune to join back in the fight.

When Blank, Emerald and Tina saw Rune charge into the fight, they were both surprised and confused. Blank was the first one of the trio to recognize him.

"Hey, that's Rune!" Blank exclaimed.

"Cy's brother?" Tina asked, slashing at ome of the Crepsculi's throats. "How'd he get HERE?"

It didn't matter. They needed all the help they could get.

As the other five young dragons used their tactics to fight, Rune used his strategy of fighting with random elements.

"Don't fight them all with the same element!" Rune shouted to his allies. "They'll only combine to form a monster that's immune to the element you used!"

"You mean a Crep-gigas!" Cyrus shouted to his brother.

"Whatever!"

The other young dragons did what Rune said.

Emerald, Blank, Nellie and Tina alternated between their elements and physical attacks, while Cyrus ran over to fight alongside Rune.

"What are you doing?" He asked, slashing at a Crepsculi's throat.

"I'm fighting with you!" Cyrus responded. "Let's work together!"

Rune sighed, conceding to his brother's wishes.

Rune and Cyrus fought back to back as Crepsculi surrounded them. Most of the beasts had six legs and were covered in Armor-like scales, while a few of the other ones were Spider-like.

Cyrus used his Wind element to knock the closest Spiderlike Crepsculi to the ground. Rune noticed this, and used the opportunity to use his Fire breath to light the fallen beasts on fire. A few of the armored Crepsculi charged from behind, intending to launch a sneak attack.

In responce to this, Cyrus used his Sound breath to unleash a power Sonic shriek, crippling the invading Crepsculi. While they were distracted. Rune faced these Crepsculi and activated his Water element, causing the Snow around the creatures to rise up from the earth and cover the monsters, freezing them in place. He and his brother then charged forwards and used several slashes to shatter the ice, causing the beasts' armor to explode off of their bodies.

During all of this, several more Crepsculi crawled out of the ground. Most of these beasts were of the small variety, while a few of them were massive, and had four heads.

As the closest Multi-headed beast charged forewards, Cyrus sumoned a multitude of vines from the ground and used them to wrap around the creatures' ankles and torsos, pinning them to the ground. Rune followed this up by leaping into the air, charging at the Multi-headed Crepsculus, and unleashing a great barrage of Lightning bombs, electrocuting the large beast and all the nearby smaller ones.

Cyrus then spun arond and faced more of the Crepsculi. He called on his Fauna element in an attempt to manipulate the entire lot. Several of the smaller Crepsculi suddenly turned and started attacking each other, but the larger beasts shrugged the spell off and made quick work of their traitorous comrades. During this distraction, Rune ran amongst the beasts and used his Earth element to augment his strength, and started slashing the Crepsculi to pieces with his talons.

In the meantime, another multi-headed Crepsculi charged upon Cyrus and attempted to grab the Black dragon between its centermost jaws. In responce to this, the Black dragon activated his Time element, freezing the entire world in place. He then jabbed his foretalons into the monster's center eyes and unleashed his Pain element, overriding the creature's entire nervous system. Once Time returned to normal, the monster fell backwards, howling in agony as it slowly died.

During this, Rune found himself surrounded by a gang of four of the Spiderlike monsters a short distance away. Just as they were about to impale him on all sides with their stingers, the young dragon used his Space element to vanish in a cloud of smoke just as the beasts' stingers were coming crashing downwards towards his body. Rune reappeared floating in the air a short moment later. He used his Memory element to send several Mental blasts into the Crepsculi's minds, causing them to fall to the ground and twitch violently. The young dragon then proceeded to slash at their throats as they lay helpless.

After this, over a dozen and a half more Crepsculi appeared in the area, surrounding the princes.

Both Rune and Cyrus felt adrenaline flowing through their veins, and their hearts beat rapidly, at the same pace. The two faced away from each other once again. Their eyes glowed white at the same time.

Six magical orbs appeared and surrounded Rune, each for one matching an element: A small burst Fire, a flowing puddle Water, a crackling jolt of Lightning, a trembling chunk of Earth, a pink, beating fragment of Memory, and a shadowy puff of Space. Cyrus was surrounded by six orbs of his own. His orbs represented his six elements: a Green gust of Wind, an orane ripple of Sound, a sprouting piece of Flora, a pulsing layer of Fauna, a Red and bleeding burst of Pain, and a golden sliver of Time.

As the horde of Crepsculi approached, each prince became surrounded by a powerful Aura: Rune' being completely White, while Cyrus's was completely black. Both of the young dragons' features seemed to vanish from view. The orbs surrounding them started to orbit faster and faster around them as the sound of Magic charging up filled the air.

The other four young dragons watched in awe as the Crepsculi surrounded the two princes.

"What's happening?" Blank exclaimed.

Without warning, the orbs orbiting the princes suddenly flew into their chests, and a great explosion of magic filled the air. A great white blast of White light escaped Rune, while a Great blast of Pitch-black Darkness escaped Cyrus.

At first, the two blasts were independant, and quickly overcame the perimeter around each dragon. But before long, the energy came into contact with each other, and something incredible happened. The White and Black energies started to combine, and created a new, Deep Purple energy.

The Purple energy exploded almost instantaneously, and filled the entire valley. The ground shook violently, sending the other young dragons toppling to their feet.

"By the ancestors!" Emerald exclaimed, struggling to regain her ground.

Each and every one of the Crepsculi started shrieking in horror and agony. They all started dissolving into Black smoke, and then into nothingness.

Soon, the Purple energy vanished, and Rune and Cyrus fell over onto the now-bare ground. The two Black dragons were breathing heavilly, barely able to move. The other young dragons ran to their eid.

"What..." Cyrus struggled to say. "What in the world was **that**? And just how were we able to do it?"

"I... don't know." Rune answered, lying down nearby.

"Rune!" Emerald yelled.

She and Nellie proceeded to help Rune get back onto his feet, while Tina and Blank did the same for Cyrus.

Once the shorter Black dragon could stand on his own, he turned and looked squarely at Rune.

"I just can't believe it.." He said, astonished. "For the longest time, I thought you were dead. And now, after five years, you literally drop out of the sky right in front of me!"

"Yeah..." Rune replied solemly.

"Yeah?" Cyrus repeated. "That's all you have to say, just 'yeah'? How can you just... I mean, you can't just..."

The shorter Black dragon didn't know what to say. He ran forewards and hugged his brother, crying slightly.

"I missed you, Rune." Cyrus said sadly.

"You have?" The other Black dragon asked.

"Of course! You're my brother. I've missed you ever since I thought you died along with Mother and Granddad. Nothing's been the same ever since the attack on The Hive."

Rune frowned.

"No, I guess they haven't..." He stated.

"So, you're Rune?" Tina asked, stepping towards the two Black dragons.

"Uh, yes, I am."

The Dark Yellow dragoness looked Rune over as Cyrus let go of him. The taller Black dragon began feeling uncomfortable again.

"Wow, you really do look alot like Cy." She said.

Tina extended a paw to shake Rune's.

"I'm Tina. Pleased to finally meetcha, Rune."

He awkwardly shook the dragoness's hand.

"Hi."

Rune turned to look at Blank, Nellie and Emerald.

"What are you three doing in the Mountains of Inferdus?" He asked, concerned.

"We've been looking for you." Emerald answered. "Well, actually, Blank was going to look for you. Nellie and I just came along to keep him out of trouble."

"Well, that definitely sounds like something Blank would do." The Black dragon said, smirking a little. The Orange dragon harumphed.

"But what about Hontus and Seraph?" Rune asked. "Wouldn't they notice you were gone?"

"Yeah. We're going to get in a lot of trouble for this, I just know it." The Green dragoness responded, feeling stupid. "But, at the very least, we finally found you."

"We've been so worried about you, Rune." Nellie stated.

"You were?"

"Of course!" Nellie hugged the Black dragon again.

"Wow." Cyrus stated, smirking. "Rune, you lucky bastard. I didn't know you had a girlfriend."

As soon as Rune's brother said that, the Blue dragoness let go of him and backed away, blushing.

"No, uh, it's definitely nothing like that!" She said defensively.

Blank glared at Cyrus, who became confused.

"What?" The Black dragon asked.

"Rune has been our adoptive brother, you know." The Orange stated, slightly angry. "That's not a very 'clean' idea to be spreading."

Nobody noticed Nellie as she turned away from the group and walked a short distance away, crying slightly.

Not wanting the conversation to become awkward, Rune immediately stepped between the two other boys and up to his brother.

"Cyrus, I need to talk to you." He stated.

"About what, Rune?" The shorter Black dragon asked. Rune glanced at the others.

"Um, it's kind of a personal matter, between the two of us. Can you guys go somewhere else for a while?"

Blank shrugged.

"Whatever, man."

The Orange dragon turned and flew up into the air, Emerald, Tina and Nellie close behind.

Despite going with the others, the Blue dragoness was reluctant to wander away from Rune. She turned her head and watched as Rune and Cyrus walk fowards in the valley. Seeing an opportunity, Nellie silently turned back around, glided down on the opposite side of the valley, and tip-toed up behind a tree. She then watched and listened in on the two Black dragons' conversation.

...

"Just wait until Wraith and Lilith find out you're here." Cyrus said happily.

"Our old magic tutor is here?" Rune asked, astonished.

"Yep. He's stayed as my tutor for the last five years, and has recently been helping me out since I ran away from home."

"Oh."

The taller Black dragon inhaled and exhaled nervously. He was afraid of what Cyrus might say after his next few questions.

"Cyrus, do you remember when Mother died?" Rune asked.

Cyrus stopped and looked at his brother.

"Of course I do." He said blankly. "How could any of us forget the day The Hive was attacked?"

"Well, do you also remember the very last trip that Father took to Warfang?"

"You mean the trip when he brought you and me along with him? I guess so. Why?"

A small bit of anxiety began to build in the back of Rune's mind.

"Well...you may not remember this, but shortly after Albanion and Elza were assigned to look after us, I had gotten curious and ran away from them while they were distracted. I ran down a few streets, and ended up running into a few dragons in golden armor."

Cyrus gasped.

"Darkstalkers!"

"Yes, but I didn't know it then. They must've heard me mention The Hive, or thought I was suspicious, because they started asking me strange questions. At one point, I stated I was actually a Dark dragon, but they claimed I was lying. So, to prove I was telling the truth, I removed my Shroud of Darkness, showing them my Black scales. They seemed pleased with that, and sent me away, promising to keep what I did a secret.

"A few days later, After we had all returned to The Hive, they used the information I told them to track down the city and attack."

"They knew where to find The Hive because of **you**?" Cyrus asked, surprised.

Rune started to cry.

"Yes." He admitted. "And that's not all. When everyone was supposed to evacuate, I stayed behind. I wanted to find Mother and Grandfather. When I did, Darkstalkers attacked. Grandfather stayed behind to give us time to escape, but he was overwhelmed. Mother and I soon found ourselves surrounded by an army of Darkstalkers, unable to flee. So, Mother used all of her magic to kill them all. When I woke up the next morning, I was the only one alive in the wreckage of The Hive. Mother had given up her life to kill the Darkstalkers."

The Black dragon's sorrow reached its zenith.

"I'm the reason that Mother is dead."

Rune then collapsed on the ground, crying heavily.

"It's so sorry for what I did. You've got to believe me."

Cyrus stood over his brother, unsure of what to do.

He was happy to have his brother back. But now he learned that their mother Elenar was dead, because of him?

_It's Rune's fault? No, that couldn't be right. It could never be Rune's fault. He probably just blames himself because their mother gave her life to save him._

Cyrus helped his brother get back onto his feet.

"It's not your fault, Rune." He said reassuringly. "You couldn't possibly have been responsible for what the Darkstalkers did."

Rune started to calm down again. His crying slowed.

"Rune, why did you come to the Mountains of Inferdus?" Cyrus asked.

"I came to find you."

"Me?"

"I recently found out that there was a way to revive the dead, and that you were on your way to the Pit of the Fallen to revive Mother."

"Are you here to try and stop me?"

"No, I want to help you bring her back." Rune replied. "You have six of the twelve elements, and I have the others. All we'd need to do is gather the right amount of Gems, find the Pit, and perform the spell. If I help revive Mother, then maybe she'll forgive me for what I did."

"Rune, I told you." Cyrus scolded. "The destruction of The Hive wasn't your fault."

Rune just looked at his brother, sorrow clearly on his face.

Cyrus sighed. He looked up at the sky, than back at Rune.

"If you want to help me revive Mother, than you're more than welcome." He stated, smiling.

"I am?" Rune asked.

"Of course you are. I wouldn't want to deny you the chance to have a hand in bringing her back. C'mon, let's go find that Pit."

"You want to find the Pit of the Fallen **now**?"

"We don't have much time. We have until the Night of Eternal Darkness."

"What?"

"I'll explain on the way."

And with that, Cyrus turned and took off for Mount Erebus. Rune followed close behind.

...

Nellie watched them vanish from view from her spot behind the tree. She was shocked at what she had learned about Rune, and the fact that he and Cyrus were leaving for the Pit of the Fallen on their own.

_They're going alone?_, she thought. _I need to tell the others!_

The Blue dragoness took to flight and headed for the Cave, but then stopped and looked in the direction that the two Black dragons just took. She thought for a minute, and then changed her mind.

_Oh, the others are bound to find out and follow anyway._

Nellie changed directions and chased after Rune and Cyrus.

...

Wraith woke up from his slumber and got to his feet, yawning. He glanced around to check on the children.

Much to his surprise, they were all gone.

"What the-?"

The Dark Red dragon turned saw Lilith, sound asleep by the mouth of the cave. Immediately, Wraith knew what happened: The Dark Yellow dragoness tried using Dark energy to stay awake. She eventually ran out of energy and passed out. And while she was out, Cyrus and the other young dragons ran off to do who knows what.

The Crimson dragon shook his head, groaning.

"Lilith, Lilith, Lilith..." He scolded, shaking his head. "Darkness isn't unlimited, dummy."

Wraith sighed.

"Well, it looks like I need to find his highness. Again."

The Dark Red dragon approached the front of the cave. Right before he passed by Lilith, Blank, Emerald and Tina flew upwards into view, entered the cave, and landed before him.

"Where were you kids?" Wraith demanded.

"Big news, Wraith!" Tina exclaimed. "We found Prince Rune!"

"Say what?"

"Well actually, Rune sort of crashed in on us." Blank added.

The three young dragons explained what happened, from the snowball fight, to Rune and Cyrus performing that strange magic to defeat the Crepsculi.

"Where is he now?" The Crimson dragon queried.

"He said he wanted to talk to Cyrus alone about something." Tina answered.

Suddenly, Emerald realized something. Nellie wasn't among them.

"Wait, where's Nellie?"

"Do you think she stayed behind?" Blank asked.

The three young dragons turned around and looked down at the valley to try and spot the Blue dragoness.

"Where did Cyrus and Rune go?" Tina asked. "Weren't they in the middle of the valley?"

"I don't see Sis anywhere." Blank said. "Where did they go? They're gone!"

The Orange and Dark Yellow dragons immediately took to flight.

"Hey, where're you going now?" Wraith exclaimed.

"Well obviously we need to find them!" Blank shouted back.

The Crimson dragon placed a paw over his face.

"Well, this is just great!" He said sarcastically.

He turned and shook Lilith's shoulder to wake her up.

"Hey sleepyhead! GET UP!" The Dark Red dragon shouted.

Lilith woke with a start.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Later on, we need to have a chat about your ability to keep watch." Wriath stated sternly. "But for now, we need to get going: We have a 'missing royalty' problem allover again."

Lilith got up to her feet with a jolt.

"Prince Cyrus is missing again?"

"Yeah, though I have a good idea where he's headed."

...

The seven Guardians and Deep Shadows had finally regained their strength and energy.

Ignitus opened up a portal in the middle of the chamber, and the other dragons proceeed to walk through it, one by one. The Chronicler tried to get the group as close to the resting place of the Pit of the Fallen, Mount Erebus, as possible. The farthest he could get them was several miles Southeast of the mountain, deep in the thick range the Mountains of Inferdus.

As soon as all of the dragons had made it through, The Deep shadows took charge.

"Out of all of us, I am the one who knows this mountain range the best", Elza stated. "Follow me, and we will arrive at Mount Erebus with time to spare."

"Are you certain you know the way?" Jules asked.

"I lived in these Mountains for a good portion of my life. I know them like the back of my paw."

"Well, if she's confident that she can lead us," Hontus began, "I say we follow her."

"Does anybody have any objections to this?" Spyro asked the group.

Most of the other dragons agreed to have Elza lead them, though Seraph seemed to only do so grudgingly.

"Alright, then." Elza said. "Follow me."

The nine dragons took to flight throught the snow-covered mountains. The Wind dragoness was at the lead, while Urobos and Seraph took up the rear. Seeing an opportunity that wasn't present the previous night, Urobos engaged the Water dragoness in private conversation.

"Why do you despise Elza so much?" He asked. "You have both cared for Rune. You both only want the same thing: to rescue the poor boy. So why do you fight each other?"

The Water dragoness didn't say a word, though she did glance at the old dragon every so often, as if to show that she was listening to what he was saying.

"It isn't still because she is a Wind dragoness, now is it?"

"No, that is past me now." Seraph answered.

"Then what is it?"

"When I fought Elza the previous night, I saw the same firey determination in her eyes that I had. I now realize that it was a desire to protect Rune, even with her life. But even though we are on the same side now, I can tell that Elza still wants to protect Rune. From me."

"From **you**?" Urobos queried. "What do you mean, Seraph?"

"I want to bring Rune back to Glenhaven. But Elza wants to bring Rune to, well, wherever the Dark dragons currently call home."

"So, you believe that you should be the one to take custody of the boy, once this ordeal has come to an end."

"I've looked after him for five years. She believed he was deceased during that time. Even if she cares for him, she doesn't seem the type to look after children."

"What about me?"

"Huh?" The dragoness asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I am Rune's grandfather." The Black dragon stated. "I've cared for him in the past, and decided to let him grow up in Glenhaven with you and your husband instead of caring for him myself, since he seemed happy with you all. If I decide that I shall take custody of him after all this, would you stop me?"

"Um..."

Seraph didn't know how to answer. She didn't wish to insult Urobos.

"Don't worry, my dear. That was only a hypothetical question. Although, I do have another question: Suppose, by some staggering coincidence, Elenar is brought back to life, and wishes to look after both of her sons. What would you do then?"

"Well, Elenar is Rune's blood mother, and the poor woman has suffered greatly..."

"But would you allow Elenar to take back her son?"

Seraph sighed.

"I suppose I'll just let you think on an answer", Urobos said.

The two dragons ended their conversation and concentrated on flying with the others.

The Eclipse was only a few more hours away.


	24. Act 3, Chapter 2

Act 3, Chapter 2

Rune and Cyrus stood before the mighty Mount Erebus.

In their entire lives, never had either dragon been to this place. And yet, they both felt strangely at ease here, as if they were welcome here. Perhaps, as the original home of Clan Aries, this Mountain was their land, and also their property.

For almost five hundred years, since the time King Inferdus, the first King of Clan Aries, walked the earth, Mount Erebus was a hub of incredible Magic. Many Pain dragons used the mountian's many innerpassageways and catacombs for countless Magical rituals and spells.

There were many rumors about this mountain, one of which being that the many spirits of the Kings and Queens who used to rule the Mountians of Inferdus still wandered through Erebus's catacombs, keeping watch over the current generation. It was said that, whenever the mountain's Magic or Gems were used for wrongdoing, the spirits would moan in anger all across Mount Erebus, alerting the other dragons within it to the crimes being commited.

Whether this was true, or just an old myth, was unknown.

The two Black dragon had found the main entryway into the mountain: a massive cave opening, which opened up to a large tunnel that went on for who knows how long. It was too dark within the cave for a Light dragon to see. However, Dark dragons have the ability to see in the dark, which is how the Pain dragons were able to live there in peace for so long.

"You ready, Rune?" Cyrus asked. The other Black dragon nodded nervously.

"Let's go."

"There should be a great number of Gems inside the passageways of the mountain." Cyrus said. "When we get to the Pit of the fallen, we'll start searching the surrounding areas for the Gems, grab them, and bring them back to the Pit chamber."

"Sounds like a good plan." Rune stated.

The two princes started walking fowards, but then they heard someone call out to them.

"Rune! Cyrus! Wait!"

They turned around, and were surprised to see Nellie flying up to them.

"Nellie?" Cyrus asked incredulously.

"What are you doing here?" Rune demanded.

"I came to help you guys." She answered.

"Why didn't you just wait for the others to come with you?" Cyrus asked. "And where _are_ they, anyway?"

"Well, they're probably finding out we're gone right ahout now." Nellie said.

Rune and Cyrus groaned.

"I guess you'll be coming along, then." The shorter Black dagon said, shrugging.

"Why?" Rune asked. "She should go back."

"Why don't you want me along?" The Blue dragoness asked, glaring.

"Um, it's just that, well..." Rune stuttered. "It could be dangerous in there."

Cyrus laughed.

"It's dangerous for her, but not for the two of **us**?"

"That's not what I meant, but that _is_ a good point." Rune stated. "The two of us have more powerful magic than Nellie. Plus, we'll be able to see where we're going, while she won't. It's that simple."

"Rune, the others will probably be showing up soon to help us anyway." Cyrus replied. "And Nellie here would be coming too. Let's just go and get a head start while we can. She can help us gather the Gems we need."

Rune sighed defeatedly.

"Fine, she can come. Let's just get going."

And with the conversation ended, the three young dragons wandered into Mount Erebus.

...

The inside of the Mountain was almost completely pitch black.

The only things giving off light were the large clusters Red, Green, and the occasional Blue Gems that were scattered here and there. Even if Nellie couldn't see, Rune and Cyrus were able to make out what the passageways looked like.

The passageways were carved into the interior of the mountain over a span of three hundred years, with younger passageways being higher and higher up the mountain. Each and every wall, floor and ceiling was made of solid Igneous rock. On occasion, there would be a wooden sign implanted into the floor somewhere to pinpoint the viewer's location within the massive stone monolith.

At the very center of Mount Erebus, there stood a massive, circular opening in the floor and ceiling. This opening extended almost all the way from the summit of the Mountain, to the very base of it, creating a single, gigantic chasm for dragons to use to traverse between different layers of the mountain with little difficulty. However, despite this, the chasm stopped short of penetrating the mountain's peak. Although the chasm did connect all the way down to the Pit of the Fallen, none of the three dragons wanted to try flying down the chasm, for fear of what they may enounter through that approach. Furthermore, although a incalculable number of torches used to light the chasm's interior for ease of sight, those had all been extinguished long ago, when the mountain was vacated.

As the trio of dragons traversed the passageways, Nellie was led foward by the paw by Rune.

"Where will we find the chamber for the Pit of the Fallen?" Nellie asked.

The trio had come to a fork in the path, with three different pasageways leading in three different directions. It just so happened that the wooden sign for this fork was missing, so Cyrus had to look down all of them in order for him to decide which one was the right path.

"Well, the Pit of the Fallen is found at the center of the base of Mount Erebus, which is a ways unerground.", Rune answered. "If we keep taking passages that lead downwards, we'll eventually come to a point where all the pathways lead to the chamber."

Cyrus looked down the path on the right, and made his decision.

"This path is leading downwards." He announced. "Let's go this way."

The three young dragons continued on their way.

After about a half hour of wandering, Nellie decided to talk to Rune.

"Hey, Rune?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"How come you never told me or the others at Glenhaven how your Mom died, or where you came from?"

Rune flinched.

"It's not something I _ever_ wanted to talk about."

"Well, Blank and I know now." The dragoness pointed out. "You could have told us that you were a Dark dragon at any time, Rune. Why didn't you?"

"I..." Rune didn't know how to answer.

"Don't you know the reason already, Nellie?" Cyrus asked, annoyed.

"Uh..."

"The Dark dragons aren't exactly the most popular race in the world." The shorter Black dragon stated. "When we aren't being hunted down out of prejudice, we're having crap thrown at us out of spite. Everybody thinks the Dark dragons started the Twilight war! If Rune had revealed he was a Dark dragon, how long do you think it would take for Light dragons in Glenhaven to start demanding that the 'Dark bastard' get out of their home?"

"It doesn't stop there", Rune stated solemnly. "If the Dark dragons knew I was alive, they would despise me as well."

Cyrus groaned.

"Not this again, Rune!" He snapped.

"What does he mean?" Nellie asked Cyrus.

Cyrus told her what Rune said earlier, that he believed he was the reason that The Hive was attacked. When he was finished, the dragoness was in shock.

"That's horrible." Nellie exclaimed.

"**I'm** horrible", Rune said glumly.

"That's not what I mean by that, Rune." The dragoness said reassuringly. "It's horrible that someone so young would have to go through all of that. I'm so sorry for you."

Nellie pulled Rune close and hugged him yet again.

This aggravated him greatly.

"Let go of me, Nellie!" Rune bellowed. The Water dragoness yelped and jumped back.

"Why are you so damn affectionate all of a sudden?" The Black dragon snarled.

"I was just..." Nellie choked out, trying not to cry.

"Can you keep from touching me for five damn minutes?" Rune demanded. "I'm getting sick of it!"

"But, I..."

Suddenly, Cyrus punched Rune in the face when he wasn't looking.

"OW!" He exclaimed, stepping backwards.

"Rune, you asshole!" Cyrus snapped. "She was just trying to comfort you!"

The taller Black dragon stood in shock. It wasn't often for his brother to do something like that. Or shout like that.

"What's gotten into you?" Cryus demanded. "I told you earlier, it wasn't your fault that The Hive was attacked! Why do you have to snap at someone who symphasizes with you, huh? If _I_ was the one trying to calm you down, would you snarl at **ME**?"

"Uh..." Rune stuttered.

"Sheesh, I can't believe you'd treat one of your friends this way. What would Mother think of you if she saw you just now?"

That question caused the taller Black dragon's eyes to light up in shock. He gasped slightly.

Cyrus turned to Nellie.

"Come on, let me guide you foward from now on. Rune here needs to be alone for a while."

"But.." Rune started to say, but his brother ignored him.

He just watched as his brother took the dragoness by the paw and led her foward. After they were a considerable distance ahead of him, Rune walked foward, thinking to himself.

_Why did I have to go and do THAT? I didn't mean to do it. I just can't stand having people get so close to me like that. I never talk to anyone about my feelings. Not Hontus and Seraph, not the Elders of Glenhaven, not Albanion or Elza, Nobody! None of them could ever understand what I've been through._

"...But _why_ don't I talk to anyone?" Rune asked himself. "Maybe it's because I'm..."

_It's becasue you're aftaid, isn't it, young dragon?_

It was the Chronicler again.

"Chronicler?"

_You have lived your life in complete fear. You fear what will be done to you if you try to tell anyone about your __**fear **__Hontus and Seraph. You __**fear**__ the Elders of Glenhaven. You __**fear**__ Albanion and Elza. In fact, you fear __**all**__ dragons, both of Darkness and Light. You believe that Light dragons will see you as a monster that must be destroyed, and you believe that Dark dragons will see you as a traitor, who must be punished. You even fear __**me**__._

"I don't fear you."

_Don't try to hide it, young dragon. You've had doubts this whole time, always afraid that I might betray you._

"But, you haven't."

_And what has that taught you, Rune?_

"That not everyone is out to condemn me."

_Of course. Nellie is one such person. She cares for you, young dragon. Don't push her away._

"She does, doesn't she..."

_More than you know, young dragon._

"Rune, what's taking you so long?" Cyrus called behind to him. "And who are you talking to?"

Rune flinched.

"Uh, no one!"

"No one?" Cyrus.

"Nevermind: I'll be right over!"

Rune ran foward to catch up with Nellie and his brother. The Chronicler spoke again, though Rune didn't hear him.

_Prepare yourself, young dragon. Your destiny awaits._

...

"So, THIS is mount Erebus." Blank said, looking up at the giant Mountain.

"Big, isn't it?" Tina asked. "I wonder how long it would take a loogie to hit the ground from the top?"

"That's disgusting", Emerald grimaced.

"We're not here to go sight-seeing, kids!" Wraith declared. "We have a pair of Princes to find."

The Dark Red dragon had guessed that the two Black dragons, if Prince Rune was really with Cyrus, that is, would head directly for Mount Erebus to find the Pit of the Fallen.

In a way, Wraith supported their decision to run ahead. Time was starting to run out before the Eclipse arrived. However, the Deep Shadow had wanted everyone to go together.

"Do you think Nellie has gone with them?" Lilith asked Wraith.

"Well, according to Blank, she hates snow." He replied. "So, I doubt she'd fly off on her own somewhere else. But enough dallying! Let's get movin'!"

The two Deep shadows led the three children into the catacombs of the Mountain. When they started passing by Gem clusters, Wraith got an idea.

"Let's gather some of the Gems we see. We'll need them to revive Lady Elenar, and it's good to get a head start."

The two adult dragons used their talons to tear apart at the Gems. When they were broken free, the Gems were stuffed into satchels that Wraith had brought with him.

"We're going to need a lot more Gems", Lilth stated, "But this is a good start for now."

"What are the Gems for, exactly?" Blank asked.

"The spell to bring a spirit back to life requires a massive amount of Red and Green Gems." The Dark Yellow dragoness answered. "We need an amount equal to the amount of energy the spirit has. I am not sure just how powerful Elenar's spirit is, but it won't hurt to be slightly over the limit. There will just be exessive Gems lying about after the spell is performed, and that's a pretty good reward on the side."

"When we catch up to Nellie and the princes," Wraith added, "We'll pool together all of the Gems we've gathered, and go obtain more Gems from the surrounding passages and Oubliettes."

"What's an 'Oubliette'?" Tina asked. Wraith groaned.

The group continued on their way, gathering Gems, as Lilith explained to her daughter waht an Oubliette was.

...

About an hour later.

Elza had led the other dragons to a small valley that was formed by the surrounding mountains.

"We should land here for a moment", The Deep Shadow said. "I am getting tired."

"We have no time for this, Elza!" Hontus declared.

"I could use some time to stop myself", Urobos agreed with the Dark Green dragoness. "This dragon isn't as young as he used to be."

"But we must hurry!" Voden exclaimed.

"Yes, the Eclipse is getting closer!" Albanion added.

"As much as I agree with you Urobos", Spyro said. "I must point out that we have less time than I had hoped. Look"

The Purple dragon pointed to something on the ground on the other side of the valley.

"Are those... tracks?" Jules queried.

Seraph and Aegis flew over to investigate them.

There were several sets of tracks around the valley. Some were behind a tree, others were dotted all around the place. Two sets of tracks, right next to each other, led out of the valley for a moment before vanishing.

"These tracks were made not too long ago." Seraph said.

"They appear to be of dragon origin, just before teenage years." Aegis added.

"What could have happened here?" Jules asked.

"I cannot guess what took place here", Spyro responded. "But those two track trails are leading towards Mount Erebus. It is possible that Prince Cyrus's entourage was here a short while ago, and have left for Mount Erebus to perform the ritual."

"Could Rune be among them?" The Water dragoness asked.

"I cannot tell."

"In any case, though I wish I didn't have to, I forgo what I said earlier", Elza declared. "We must hurry to Mount Erebus to stop Prince Cyrus!"

And with that, the nine dragons flew towards the giant mountain, unaware of who was fast approaching far behind...

...

Bane flew across the Veros Outskirts as fast as he could, the Mountains of Inferdus slowly appearing in his view. He knew he could simply teleport Mount Erebus, but he decided to conserve his magical power.

A great spectrum of emotions were flailing withing the King's mind all at once.

On one paw, he had become blinded by fury when he learned what Malefor had been doing to Elenar's Spirit all this time. He almost wanted his sons to perform the ritual, just so Bane could personally slaughter the Purple-hided Demon like the vermin he was.

On the other paw, Bane wasn't completely sure the ritual was even possible. Even after learning the entire process from Cynder, the whole thing still seemed too good to be true. If the ritual was real, then how come it wasn't shared with all the world?

Maybe it was because it required one dragon of each of the twelve elements to work together. That was almost an impossibility nowadays. Although, now that he thought about it, Bane had all twelve elements under his control, so he could potentially perform the ritual by himself.

But there had to be more to it, somehow. There had to be a catch nobody knew about. Maybe the spirit would only stay alive for a short time. Or maybe it could only be performed during a specific time period, like the Year of the Dragon, or the Night of Eternal Darkness's Eclipse. Or, maybe it required the dragon or dragons performing the ritual to sacrifice their own lives in exchange for the one being revived.

Whatever it was, Bane refused to believe that one could obtain something for nothing. And in any case, the King was determined to get to Mount Erebus to stop his sons from making a horrible mistake.

The Black dragon looked up at the sky. The planet's moons were slowly moving into position.

"The Night of Eternal Darkness is almost here", he said to himself. "My Deep Shadows in Warfang will tear the manes from their heads in frusteration trying to find me. I wonder how I can explain to them best that I have begrudgingly decided to cancel the plan..."

The King thought up ways to speak to his followers as he passed the entryway into the Mountains of Inferdus and raced towards Mount Erebus...

...

Eventually, Rune, Cyrus and Nellie noticed a path that led to a great glowing green light. As they approached it, they realized they had found it:

The Pit of the Fallen.

Upon entering inside, the three dragons found that they were walking on a massive platform of stone that stood just before the Pit of the Fallen's Southernmost edge. Three more, identical platforms were attached to the North, East, and West sides. Just outside each entryway, a massive passageway curved around the side of the Pit on each side. All of the passageways were connected together, forming a gigantic ring around the Pit of the Fallen.

The Pit itself was a gigantic crater, just underneath the mountain and almost completely underground. It was enormous, stretching across the entire surface area of the Mountain's base. Every inch of the stone in the Platforms and massive walls were a deep Dark Blue, and were cold enough to partially sting upon contact with each of the young dragons' paws. The air was cold enough for the trio to see their breath when they spoke. The ceiling of the Chamber was a great distance up above the dragons' heads. They could make out a giant circle of stone missing just above the Pit's center, which connected to the great chasm high above. In the meantime, the Pit seemed to go downwards for eternity. There was a great black Abyss deep within the Pit, with a mysterious Green Light coming from the very center of it, far below.

"This place is incredible." Nellie said, astounded. "How did the dragons of Clan Aries ever build this?"

"They didn't build it." Rune asnwered. "It was always here."

The Black dragon walked up to the edge of the Platform, which had no safety wall to prevent Nondragons from falling to their doom. Rune peered inside. He didn't see anything moving, but he could almost make out faint voices speaking a strange, indecipherable language deep within. A shiver ran down his spine.

"Guys, look!" Cyrus shouted.

Rune and Nellie turned to face the other Black dragon. He was pointing at several clusters of Gems lined up along the walls of the platform.

"We hit the jackpot! We won't have to waste too much time looking for Gems afterall!"

The three young dragons immediately got to work gathering breaking the Gem clusters apart and putting the spoils in a pile in the very center of the platform.

"How many do you think we'll need?" Rune asked. His brother shrugged.

"Not sure, so we'll just have to use all of them." He answered.

"If only we knew just how powerful Mother's spirit is."

After a few minutes, they had mined all of the Gems in the room. They sat in a giant pile before the Pit. Rune took a deep breath.

"Okay... I think it's time..." Rune said nervously.

"Yeah..." Cyrus agreed, in the same tone of voice.

"Is there anything I should do?" Nellie asked.

"You shouldn't get too close, Nellie", Rune answered. "We don't know what's going to happen."

The dragoness backed away from the pile of Gems. Cyrus approached the Pit, pulling a dagger sheath from the satchel at his side.

"What's that for?" Rune asked. Cyrus unsheathed the dagger and held it in his front right paw.

"It's to get things started." He answered.

The shorter Black dragon gritted his teeth and sliced through part of his left forepaw. He then held his injured paw out, palm facing upwards.

"What are you doing, Cyrus?" Rune asked, confused.

"I'm getting the ritual started", He said.

Cyrus held his right forepaw over his left, and created an orb of Darkness. He combined the orb with the blood on his paw, causing the orb to glow red. The Prince then dropped the orb into the Pit, resheathed the dagger, healed his paw with his Pain magic, and ran back over to Rune.

A moment later, a great rumbling filled the air as the Platform began shaking slightly. The green light deep inside the Pit started to glow brighter.

"And now", Cyrus said to his brother, "We begin the spell."

...

As Spyro was flying through the air, he suddenly felt a presence in the back of his mind. It was Cynder, calling out to him.

_Spyro, hurry!_ She pleaded._ The two children are beginning the ritual as we speak!_

The Purple dragon gasped.

"We need to be at the Pit NOW!" He exclaimed to the others.


	25. Act 3, Chapter 3

Act 3, Chapter 3

Wraith and the others were wandering down the many diverging passageways within Mount Erebus when a faint rumbling started.

"What's that?" Blank asked.

"I have the strangest feeling that our missing young dragons are related." Wraith answered "Come on. We'll follow the rumbling."

...

As the rumbling grew louder, the shaking became more severe, and the Green Light grew brighter, Rune and Cyrus stepped on either side of the pile of Gems.

After a moment, a massive army of spirits started flying out of the Pit, and began floating around in the open air at great speed betwixt and between the four platforms. The countless spirits started to shouting out at random. To Cyrus and Nellie, the shouts and screams were completely inintelligible. But to Rune, they were shouts of rage.

"_**Traiiiitor!**_"

"_**Doublecrossssssser!**_"

Rune gasped in fright, and started stepping backwards.

These spirits belonged to the dragons that died because of Rune's mistake. And they were quite infuriated.

Nellie noticed Rune's reaction.

"What are they saying?" Nellie asked, concerned.

"You mean you don't understand them?" Rune asked.

"No, I don't." The dragoness replied. "Why are they scaring you, Rune?"

"_**You killed ussssss!**_"

"_**Traiiiitor!**_"

Cyrus groaned.

"None of those spirits belong to Mother!" He complained.

"How do you know?" Nellie asked.

"The orb of Darkness I made is supposed to draw her to us. She should be appearing soon."

After another few moments, only the angry cries of the multitude of dancing spirits filled the air. But then, another voice spoke, which overpowered the others.

It was a familiar, female voice.

"..._Cyrus..._"

The shorter Black dragon gasped.

"Mother?" He asked.

"_...Cyrus...Rune..._"

The two Black dragons exchanged glances. The Green glow started growing even greater than before. During this, another source of light appeared, which somehow stood independent of the Green one around it.

Something was about to come out of the Pit.

"It's her!" Cyrus exclaimed. "Quick, Rune! Help me out here!"

"Uh, right." His brother agreed, somewhat anxiously.

The two young dragons held out their front paws and summoned their power over their respective element. Rune called upon his Space, and Cyrus called upon his Time.

The two Princes used the elements in conjunction to start transforming the Gems. The Gems glowed white as they started transforming into pure energy, and then into a bizarre, plasma-like mass.

Neither one of the Black dragons could hear as the spirit of Elenar pleaded with them.

"_Please, my sons, stop what you're doing. Don't let Malefor fool you._"

...

As soon as the entrance to Mount Erebus was visible, Spyro blasted ahead, quick as a flash.

"We don't have much time left! HURRY!" He bellowed.

The other dragons sped up flying as fast as their wings would allow.

Urobos groaned in contempt.

"Did I not say that I'm well beyond the age to movethis fast?"

The aged Black dragon rushed as fast as he could from his place in the back of the group, coughing and wheezing the whole time.

...

As Wraith and the others made their way down to the ring of passageways that led to the Pit chamber, a great Green Light started filling the great chasm, illuminating each and every layer with incredible vibrancy.

Tina, Wraith and Lilith all winced in pain as the jarringness of the Light took its toll on their eyes. Blank and Emerald looked at the Dark dragons, confused.

"What's the problem?" The Orange one asked.

"The thing about being Dark dragons is that we're able to see much better in Darkness than a Light dragon." The Crimson dragon groaned, rubbing his eyes. "However, as a trade-off, our eyes are much more sensitive in Vibrant Lights than a Light dragon's. It takes much longer for us to get used to flashes of Light."

Emerald was about to say something in responce, but suddenly spotted somethng.

"Hey, look! She shouted, pointing a talon.

"That's not funny." Tina complained.

After a short moment, Blank saw it to.

"No, she's serious!" He exclaimed. "It's them!"

A short distance away, the two black dragons were standing in the center of a giant platform. They were already in the middle of performing the revival ritual.

When the three Dark dragons could see again, they saw what was happening.

"They're performing the ritual already?" Lilith asked, confused. "Where did they get the Gems?"

"No time for questions." Wraith commented. "Let's go join them."

The five dragons walked into the Pit chamber. As they did this, they spotted Nellie standing nearby.

"Ah, there she is." Blank stated. "She went with Rune and Cyrus the whole time."

The Blue dragoness turned around to face the other dragons.

"Don't get too close!" She warned.

"Why not?" Emerald asked.

"This might not be exactly safe." Wraith pointed out. "We'd best keep our distance, for now."

As this was going on, Rune and Cyrus moved on to the next part of the spell.

The two Black dragons had summoned a multitude of Elemental orbs from within themselves, which proceeded to orbit around their respective summoners. There were ten in all, each one made of an element, except Space and Time. As this happened, a great white form floated out of the Pit, and hung in space before. it appeared to be in the shape of a dragon, with eyes that were completely Golden.

"Is that..." Tina began.

"...Lady Elenar?" Lilith asked.

"Possibly..." Wraith said. "Although, I can't help but think something's wrong..."

Rune and Cyrus turned their heads to the others. They finally realized that they had arrived.

"I figured you guys would show up at some point!" Cyrus said, grinning. "We're doing it! We're actually doing it!"

"Pay attention to what you're doing, your highnesses!" The Dark Red responded. "Oh, and it's good to see you're doing well, prince Rune!"

As Rune and Cyrus began using the elements Fire, Water, Lightning and Earth to transform the mass of energy into a body, the White from floated closer to them.

During this, the spirits above the Pit started screaming at Rune even louder. A good number of them started flying towards the Black dragon, and started cicling around him.

"_**TRAITOR!**_"

"_**YOU SHOULD BE DEAD, NOT US!**_"

"_**YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THE DARK DRAGONS!**_"

Rune stated to hyperventilate. The orbs around him started tilting left and right, and began to spin out of control.

"Rune, what's wrong?" Cyrus asked, concerned.

Somehow, the other Black dragon didn't see the spirits surrounding his brother, nor did any of the others.

"_**DOUBLECROSSER!**_"

"_**YOU BETRAYED US ALL!**_"

"_**TRAITOOORRR!**_"

Rune began to shake with fear. He was about to turn and run in terror, when The Chronicler's voice began speaking to him yet again.

_Do not surrender to fear, young dragon._ He advised. _You are halfway through the ritual. Stand tall, and complete the other half._

"Y.. Yes, Chronicler?" Rune said out loud.

"Chronicler?" Wraith asked, confused. "Who's the Chronicler?"

Rune ignored the question, and continued manipulating the orbs.

The two Black dragons proceeded to use the elements of Flora and Fauna to bind the White Spirit with the Gems. The Plasma-like mass combined with the White energy just as the two Elemental Orbs floated into the latter...

And then, things started to go wrong.

The White Spirit growing to a massive size, and it suddenly changed to a Deep Purple color.

"Huh?" Cyrus asked, alarmed.

"What's happening?" Emerald exclaimed.

Before the two Black dragons could do anything else, they both suddenly fell backwards as they lost all of their control over the remaining four obs orbs. However, some unseen force seemed to take them over, and had them begin orbiting the Purple form.

Cyrus got back onto his feet and scrambled away in shock.

"What the fuck?" He exclaimed. "I'm not doing that!"

Most of the other dragons proceeded follow the Prince's suit, keeping their distance at the mouth of the chamber entrance. Rune, however, had stayed where he landed on the floor, the spirits spiralling around him, faster and faster.

A great and powerful voice spoke out loud, one that all could here.

_I will take it from here, little dragons._

"Something's wrong", Lilith said, alarmed.. "That's not Elenar!"

The purple form suddenly split into two, significantly unequal halves.

One half took on the shape of a Purple-colored, masculine, and almost giant-sized spirit. The other half took on the form of a White, normal-sized, feminine spirit, whose "neck" was held in the large one's right forepaw.

The larger one looked down at the female with great yellow eyes. His voice was unlike that of any normal dragon.

"_I have no more use for you_." He said coldly.

The being then tossed the female to the side. She lay on the Platform floor, unmoving as if she were frozen in place.

The purple form then turned its head and glanced at Rune. The spirits that had surrounded the young dragon were now trying to claw at his hide. He was crumpled on the floor, his tail tucked between his hindlegs, those same legs tucked behind his forelegs, and his wings wrapped over all his limbs.

He was crying and mumbling crying profusely, and mumbling the same phrase over and over.

"All my fault...all my fault..."

"Rune?" Nellie asked, cunfused.

"Rune, get away from there!" Blank exclaimed.

"All my fault..."

They could not see what **Rune **was seeing.

...

In Rune's mind, he found himself lying in the middle of a great black void.

All around him were the images of hundreds of dragons screaming at him in anger. Among them was every dragon he had known throughout his life: The Glenhaven Elders, the Deep Shadows, his adoptive parents and siblings, his Blood family, and countless others.

But the most prominent dragon was the giant black demoness that was his mother Elenar, glaring down at him with her red eyes.

As all the other creatures voiced their rage and animosty, the Demonic Elenar began speaking to Rune.

"Did you really think it would be so easy to put an end to my Ire?" She demanded.

"Wh.. What?" The young dragon asked.

"After all you've done to the Dark dragon Race, after all the suffering and pain you've caused, after all the SINS you've committed, did you think you could make amends by granting me a new body?"

"But..." Rune mumbled. "But I... I wanted to be forgiven..."

"AND JUST WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU DESERVE FORGIVENESS?" Elenar snarled.

The Black dragon whimpered.

"Look around you, boy!" The dragoness demanded. "You are not just a traitor to the Dark dragon race. You are a traitor to _**ALL**_ dragons! Look upon the spirits of beings you've condemned to death, and the living people you've hurt! They are all of both Light AND Darkness!"

The spirits circled around the young dragon, their screaming overpowering his earholes.

"_**TRAITOR!**_**"**

"_**TREASONUS BEAST!**_"

"_**YOU LOATHSOME MONGREL!**_"

"You are a blight upon the dragon realms! Wherever you go, suffering follows close behind! Hundreds of beings are dead because of your deeds! And you think you can save yourself from eternal damnation by reviving JUST ONE?"

Rune started backing away from Elenar, trembling even harder.

"I... I..."

"No matter how many 'good' deeds you may try to commit, it will not change the fact that you do not even deserve to EXIST. The fact that you stand before is an undeserved punishiment on us all!"

"NO!" Rune exclaimed. "Please! I'm sorry!"

But no matter how much the Black dragon pleaded and begged for mercy, the spirits only continued condemning him.

"_**HEATHEN!**_"

"_**YOU KILLED US!**_"

"_**MAY LORD SPYRO THE GREAT SHADOW CURSE YOU TO YOUR DYING DAY!**_"

Rune was doubled over in fear.

...

The young dragon was a crumpled mess on the Platform floor, lost in fear and self-loathing.

The Purple form shook his head in contempt.

"_Pathetic little coward, engulfed completely in fear._"

The Purple then looked at the remaining plasmic mass and the elemental orbs. The dragons watched in fright as the ritual completed itself.

The Form spoke to them.

"_Look on, insignificant ones. You are the lucky ones who are able to witness the rebirth of Malefor!_"

"MALEFOR?" Wraith and Lilith shouted in unison.

"Where's my Mother?" Cyrus demanded. "And what are you doing to Rune?"

The elemental orbs stated blending with the energy. Malefor spoke again.

"_Do you mean these two pawns? The female kept me entertained during my wait to regain my hold on her offspring. She's now lying here, paralyzed._"

The white form layed behind him, motionless.

"_As for the coward, he is currently wallowing in his self-imposed fear and weakness. He was incredibly easy to manipulate. All I had to do was convince him that I was 'The Chronicler', and lead him here. Through him and the energy at his disposal, I created throngs of beasts that you call 'Crepsculi' for him to combat to increase his Magical ability. Of course, he has served his ultimate purpose, and he is too much of a weak little coward for me to try and make something usefule out of him: I will dispose of him, once I am physical again."_

"No!" Cyrus and Blank shouted in unison.

The Black and Orange dragons charged fowards, the former blasting Wind breath and the latter blasting Fire breath.

"Boys, no!" Lilith warned.

As Cyrus and Black tried to attack Malefor's spirit, they were blocked by a wall of Purple energy that came into existance. The boys crashed violently into the ground several feet away. Malefor laughed at their expense.

"_Hopeless._"

The dragons watched helplessly as Malefor used the orbs to create a new body.

But then, something strange happened.

The elemental orbs started twitching wildly. They started breaking apart, causing the pool of energy to start flowing at random.

"_What? What is happening?_"

Then, Malefor's spirit started shaking. It was as though something was tearing him apart. Meanwhile, the mass of energy started becoming unstable, flowing around the Purple spirit uncontrollably. The energy also pierced through him several times.

"_The energy! I'm losing control!_"

The sounds of magic exploding echoed throughout the chamber as the energy started building up and pulsing violently, drawing from Malefor's own power.

"What's going on?" Nellie asked, frightened.

Rune's attention was drawn by the sounds of the explosions, and something within him stirred.

...

The Black dragon lay on the "floor" of the great Black abyss, crying profusely as the spirits continued their shouts of rage.

"_**A POX ON YOUR VERY EXISTANCE!**_"

"_**DAMN YOU FOR ALL ETERNITY!**_"

"_**YOUR TRAITOROUS SLIME!**_"

Elenar's form glared down at Rune, the same look of hatred in her eyes as she always gave him.

The Black dragon listened as the spirits continued their shouts of rage. The same condemnations. The same accusations. The same things that he feared to hear, over and over again...

But then, something stirred within the Black dragon.

He couldn't stand anymore of this constant animosity. He desired for it to all go away. And then, a Purple aura began surrounding the dragon's body, and all of his Fear turned into a new emotion.

Rage.

"Shut up!" He screamed. "**SHUT! UUUUUUUUUUP!**"

A burst of Purple energy exploded out of the Black dragon in all directions.

The energy collided with every spirit that surrounded him, and destroyed them nearly instantly. Their shouts of anger became cries of agony.

Elenar looked down at Rune in astonishment.

"WHAT?" She exclaimed, alarmed.

The Purple aura around Rune's body became thicker as he stood before the dragoness, breathing heavily.

The Black dragon gasped, realizing what he had just done.

And then, he smirked.

"Unbelievable..." He said, looking at himself. "This power... it came from _me_!"

Before Rune could do anything else, a massive Purple explosion engulfed everthing around him...

...

Rune had gotten back up to his feet, and started approaching Malefor, pushing past the spirits. Their shouting at him became muffled.

Something drew the Black dragon to Malefor, though he didn't know what it was. As he approached, the energy pulsed faster and faster, until, finally, it exploded into a mass of Purple energy.

The explosion engulfed Malefor, Rune, and Elenar's unconscious spirit behind them. A blinding Purple flash filled the chamber Rune was thrown backwards against the wall, and he then crashed to the ground. Malefor screamed in agony.

Eventually, the Light faded away, and Wraith, Lilith, and all the other young dragons could see again. What they saw shocked them.

The army of spirits and the Green light had disappeared. Before the group, three dragons were laying on the floor. Over by the wall was Rune, his back facing away from the group, unconsious.

Next to the Pit opening was a Dark grey dragoness. It was Elenar. Somehow, she had gained a new body, just as Cyrus had hoped to do. But, she was not moving. Still, Cyrus almost got happy, until he saw the third dragon.

The third, and biggest of the three, was a large Purple dragon with three great horns upon his head. The dragon was incredibly large, almost like a Giant.

It was Malefor. He had gained a new body.

The Deep Shadows and young dragons stood in horror. The children were frightened, but Wraith and Lilith were the only ones to truly understand the severity of the situation. Malefor, the Evil Purple dragon of ancient times, had been brought back to life, free to terrorize the world all over again.

The Purple dragon got to his feet, breathing heavily. He looked upon the group of dragons with his Demonic Yellow eyes, and spoke to them, smiling malevolently.

"I have finally returned." He said triumphantly. His voice was almost the same as it was in his Spirit form, but it sounded as though it belonged to a living being, instead of an otherworldly one.

"No..." Cyrus muttered, horrified. "This wasn't supposed to happen..."

Malefor laughed.

"But it has. And now, I am free to do away with this wretched world. But first, I'll do away with _you_ before you try to intervene."

Wraith and Lilith snarled, pushing the young dragons behind themselves to protect them. Malefor opened his mouth, preparing to blast the Deep Shadows with the power of Convexity. A massive charge of purple energy formed in his mouth...

However, before he could attack, something strange happened.

As the Purple dragon was unleashing his attack, purple lightning suddenly erupted allover his body. Malefor shouted in pain as a large beam of Convexity erupted from his great maw.

The two Deep Shadows quickly ducked to the floor as the Convexity passed overhead, almost grazing their manes in the process. The beam continued on its path, eventually colliding with a stone wall far behind and blasting a large hole into it.

After unleashing the attack without having time to aim it, Malefor slumped to the floor. The scales on his hide seemed to turn into a mass of energy for a brief moment, but then returned to physical form as the Purple dragon regained his breath and composure.

The Deep Shadows stood there, dumbstruck. Their opponent had unleashed a deadly attack, to be sure, but he seemed to weaken himself in the process.

"What in the world...?" Lilith asked.

Malefor snarled, though his face showed signs of great confusion.

"HOW CAN THIS BE?" He bellowed. "I am Malefor! My power is nigh infinite! Why am I suddenly unable to control it?"

For a moment, Wraith stood just as confused as Malefor was. And then, realization dawned on him.

"I get it now." Wraith stated. "The process of bringing a spirit back to life only works when the power of the Gems matches the power of the Spirit in question, right?"

"Uh, yes." Lilith agreed. "But what does that have to do with..."

And then, the Dark Yellow dragoness understood, and chuckled a little to herself, though she stayed on her guard.

"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT?" Malefor demanded. Wraith pointed a talon at the Purple dragon.

"If the stories are true, you are, or perhaps _were_, a very powerful dragon indeed. It would be obvious to say you would be far more powerful than most dragons nowadays, like Lady Elenar, for example. When you intervened in the ritual to bring back Elenar, you tried bonding with the power held in the Gems. However, the Gems would only be able to bond with Elenar, because her power was equal to that of the Gems."

Lilith continued for Wraith.

"YOU, on the other hand, possesed far more power than the Gems. When the power of the Gems tried to combine with _your _power, the energy grew unstable, and exploded, spilling your energy allover the place."

"I tire of your ongoing technobabble!" Malefor demanded. "What are you getting at?"

Wraith spoke again

"As far as I can tell, Rune and Cyrus must have gathered more Gems than were needed for Elenar, which is why both you and the Queen were given new bodies instead of just one of you. However, while Elenar received a complete body, as far as we can tell, at least, there were far less Gems than were required to grant **you** a complete body as well. So, it seems that some of the spillover of your Convexity energy was added to the Gems as a sort of substitute. So, even though you have a new body, it's tied to the Convexity energy that still remains within you, and every time you use it, your body becomes less an less able to stay together. In other words..."

"Get to the point, you Crimson slug." The Purple dragon demanded.

Wraith's had to hold back a laugh to continue.

"You tried to come back to life at full power, only to end up in a state in which you have to refrain from using it in order to stay alive. And considering how powerful you used to be, a massive portion of your power had wandered elsewhere thanks to the explosion, because otherwise, it would've been a long time before your instability would start taking effect."

"YOU LIE!" Malefor exclaimed. He tried to strike with Convexity breath again.

As he launched the attack, the Deep Shadows dodged out of the way. purple lighting briefly flashed across the Purple dragon's body, and he grunted in pain as his hide turned to energy for a split second.

"DAMNATION!" Malefor bellowed. "I may not be as powerful as I once was at this time, but don't believe for a moment that I am a helpless weakling! My lost power can always be regained, and my strength can always be renewed. I am eternal, now and forever!"

The Purple dragon attacked with Convexity a third time. A massive Purple beam was sent hurtling towards Wraith.

The Crimson dragon used his Space element to teleport out of harm's way, but his left side was still grazed, and a large hole was burned through his Robes. In the meantime, Malefor groaned as he temporarilly became energy once again.

"Maybe you should stop doing that." Blank chuckled.

"Silence, child!" The Purple dragon roared.

"Something puzzles me, though." Lilith said.

"What is it, mother?" Tina asked.

"Malefor is now an unstable being, who becomes less stable every time he uses what remains of his power. He lost the rest of his power during the explosion. We know Elenar doesn't possess it, because the Gems granted her a new body. So, where did the rest of his power go?"

"That's a good question." Wraith agreed The dragons looked around.

"I don't see anything out of the ordinary." Blank said.

"Well, other than Malefor." Nellie added.

The Purple dragon snarled.

"Do you think that because of this minor setback, you have a right to insult me?" He exclaimed in anger. "I am able to draw upon the energy that floats in the very air, thus increasing my power with every second spent. Soon enouth, I will be strong enough to slaughter you without incident."

Suddenly, a strange voice shouted out.

"That voice! No, it cannot be!"

"Who in the dragon realms said THAT?" Wraith asked.

The group look behind themselves at the path leading out of the chamber.

"Move out of the way!" The voice demanded.

The Deep shadows and the young dragons did as the voice asked. Soon, much to the group's suprise, nine other dragons ran into view, led by a large, Purple elder dragon.

...

Spyro led the other eight dragons into the Pit chamber, onto the platform. Immediately, most of the dragons in both groups recognized each other.

"Mom? Dad?" Blank and Nellie asked.

"Blank! Nellie!" Seraph exclaimed, running to her children.

"We're so glad you're okay!" Hontus added.

Emerald was surpirsed to see her father, but she was happy anyway.

"We're going to have a long talk about you running away, Emerald." Jules said sternly.

"I know." The dragoness responded. She hugged her father's foreleg. Jules couldn't help but hug his daughter back, smiling.

On the other side, the five Deep shadows reunited.

"Hi, Papa." Tina said, hugging Aegis. He smiled.

"It's good to see you too, Tina."

"And _you_ as well, prince Cyrus." Albanion stated, staring down at the young dragon. "Your father has been worried about you."

The Prince gulped.

"Hello, Albanion." He said awkwardly

"What are you three doing so far north?" Lilith asked the Flora dragon

"And who're THOSE guys?" Wraith added, motioning towards Spyro and Urobos. "Wait, is the Black one who I _think_ it is?"

"We have a lot to explain to you two." Elza stated

"Clearly." The Dark Yellow dragoness responded.

All the while, Spyro and Urobos snarled at Malefor, who did the same.

"So, we were too late to stop the princes." Spyro said with great contempt.

"I should have predicted I would be dealing with the likes of YOU again." Malefor sneered.

"Even if we failed to stop Rune and Cyrus from resurrecting you," Urobos began, "We are still able to KILL you!"

"Don't get to worried about him, old guys." Wraith called to the oaged dragons. "Malefor's dangerous, but he's also dangerous to **himself**. Perhaps even moreso than to the rest of us.

Spyro, Urobos, and the other dragons who travelled with them all stared at Wraith in disbelief.

"What?" Urobos asked. "You must be joking!"

Wraith and Lilith explained how Malefor ended up in his unstable state, much to his irritation.

"You are digging your grave deeper and deeper!" Malefor roared. "My power is still a force to be reckoned with!"

The Purple dragon unleashed a massive Purple shockwave throughout the area. Most of the dragons were knocked to the floor, but Spyro and Urobos were able to hold their ground. As the attack faded into nothingness, Malefor crumpled to the floor, his body turning into energy for a significantly longer span of time. However, he soon returned to normal once again. Spyro watched his enemy, surprised to see him in such a state.

"Go ahead and claim I am weak!" Malefor declared. "I am still powerful enough to end your lives."

"Even if this is so", Spyro stated. "I cannot take chances."

The aged Purle dragon approached the Evil one, slowly charing up his Magical Energy. Malefor started to take steps back, snarling.

Unbenknownst to everyone, Rune slowly started to regain consciousness.

"This is where you return to the Underworld, Malefor." Spyros said coldly, about to fire a blast of Convexity of his own.

Malefor tried to take to the air, only to find that he didn't have the energy to fly. He fell to the ground. He stood back up, and prepared chargin his magic for one final, all-powerful blast.

"Weak as I may be," He screamed, "I refused to die as a coward!"

Spyro unleashed his attack before Malefor could finish his own.

However, before Spyro's Convexity could hit the Evil dragon, a massive wall of Purple energy appeared in front of him, shielding him as Spyro's attack exploded upon impact.

All of the dragons stood there, shocked and confused, Malefor most of all.

"What is this?", Malefor exclaimed. "I didn't create this barrier!"

The barrier faded into nothingness, and a faint laughter filled the room.

"Heh heh heh ..."

"Who did that?" Elza asked.

"Look!" Voden shouted, pointing at the source of the laughter.

Rune had finally gotten back onto his feet, facing away from everyone and laughing some more.

"Heh heh heh... It's gone."

"Rune?" The Wind dragoness asked.

"What's gone?" Aegis queried.

"My fear... It's gone."

Rune turned to face the crowd of dragons. His eyes were closed, but he was grinning.

"I'm not afraid anymore. In fact..."

The young dragon opened his eyes, and everyone gasped. The whites of his eyes had turned a sickening yellow. His irises had become identical to Malefor's.

"...I've never felt so ALIVE!"

As Rune shouted the last part of his statement, a purple aura appeared all around him. Everyone gasped.

"Malefor's power..." Lilith shouted. "It entered inside RUNE!"

Rune walked around the chamber, staying a set distance away from Malefor and glancing at each of the dragons. With every step he took, part of the scales around his eyes started changing from Midnight Black to Snow White.

Urobos's eyes lit up in horror.

"No..." He whispered. "He's becoming..."

"I've never felt this powerful in my life!" The young dragon declared, almost maniacly. "I feel as though I can do ANYTHING!"

The rest of Rune's head changed to White, and his neck started changing as well.

"No longer am I afraid of how others will punish me!" He continued. "Why fear those would seek to pass judgement on me, when I can swat them away like flies?"

Most of Rune's torso had changed to White, and his limbs started changing in turn.

"No longer shall I seek forgiveness, because I can force OTHERS to beg forgiveness from ME!"

Rune suddenly stopped walking and tilted his head up, shooting a blast of purple fire into the air, and the rest of his scales changed to White.

The other dragons stepped back in fear.

Rune turned to face Malefor.

"And it's all thanks to you." The now-White dragon bowed his head. "Thank you, Master."

The Evil dragon grinned.

"Well, well, well..." He said. "It seems you are still of use to me."

"Rune, listen to me!" Spyro pleaded to the young dragon. "This isn't really you talking. Your mind is being controlled by Malefor."

"Oh, I think it **is** me talking!" Rune snapped, grinning. A pool of darkness flowed from Rune's feet, causing the Purple elder to step back in shock.

The young dragon resumed Walking around the Platform and talking to the others.

"I still remember everthing that's happened to me after all these years." The White dragon spat. "I can remember every time someone's seeked to condemn me, and spit in my face whenever I asked forgiveness for my sins. But I'm through with wasting my time saying Sorry. If my sins are to go unforgiven, then I'll just commit sin after sin, and destroy anyone who gets in my way.

"Rune, listen to reason!" Seraph yelled. She and Hontus tried to approach the young dragon.

"You're talking nonsense, son!" The Red dragon added.

"SON?" Rune exclaimed.

As the White dragon yelled, several Crepsculi started rising out of the pool of darkness around his feet, forcing the two adult dragons to back away.

"You two imbeciles aren't my parents!" He sneered. "You never were, and you never will be!"

The White dragon glared at Seraph.

"I can see into your mind, Seraph! I can see the hatred you have for Dark dragons. It's a good thing I never wanted to reveal that I was a Dark dragon to you, or you would have killed me when I was weak."

"That's not true!" The Water dragoness pleaded. Rune turned to look at Hontus.

"And you! When have you ever cared enough to try and get close to me?"

"Rune, there have been many times when-"

"BULLSHIT!"

When Rune shouted, he fired a blast of Convexity at Hontus, sending him flying backwards several feet. When Seraph ran to aid him, Albanion and Elza tried next to persuade the young dragon.

"Your highness, stop it!" Albanion demanded.

"Neither of those two have ever done anything to warrant this!" Elza added.

Rune glared.

"Of couse, who could forget my father's idiot henchmen? Are you two so brainwashed that you would consume his stool on command?"

The Wind dragoness was both shocked and enraged at the insult.

"Oh, did I insult the high and mighty Elza?" Rune chided. "Are going to attack me now, like you did in Glenhaven?"

"We didn't **attack** you!" Elza snapped. The young dragon only scoffed and resumed walking.

"Your highness, wait!" Albanion exclaimed.

Rune waved his forepaw, and several Crepsculi attacked the two Deep shadows. Aegis and Lilith stepped in to aid them, while Rune continued on.

The young dragon turned around and walked towards Malefor.

Allow me to get you away from this place and these pathetic pounds of flesh, Master." He stated. "As reciprocation for granting me a new lease on life, I'll help you replace the power you have lost, Master. If you would accept my aid."

The Evil Purple dragon grinned.

"That is an offer I am more than content with accepting." He stated.

Urobos ran forwards, but was blocked by several Crepsculi.

"Rune, NO!" He shouted. "Don't fall under the influence!"

The White dragon groaned in disgust, and started turning around.

"Of course. Yet another imbecile who thinks that they can-"

The White dragon gasped when he saw the Aged Black dragon standing across the way from him. His Demonic eyes lit up with amazement

"Granfather?" He asked.

"Yes, Rune." He replied. "It's me."

"But..." The White dragon stammered. "...You're dead. You died when The Hive was destroyed..."

"He was revived shortly afterwards." Spyro stated. "You Grandfather has been alive this whole time.

The White dragon's eyes began changing. They changed from Demonic and distorted, to mortal, and their original Golden hue. It almost seemed like he was about to cry.

"Grandpa Urobos... alive and well this whole time..."

"Don't allow yourself to become a beast!" The aged Black dragon pleaded. "This isn't what you're meant to be!"

Malefor snarled when he saw the White dragon stop.

"What is causing you to falter?" He demanded.

For a moment, all of the happy memories of Rune's grandfather came flooding back to him. The young dragon remembered how much Urobos cared for him when he was a cub, and how devastated he felt after he believed the aged Black dragon had died trying to defend himself and his mother...

...And then, the good times became replaced by hatred.

"I thought you were dead for five years, and you mean to tell me you were alive this whole time?" He snarled.

His eyes became demonic once again.

"Rune, listen to me..." Urobos tried to say.

"Why didn't you tell me you were alive when you had the chance?" He demanded.

"I thought you were content enough with the new life you had gotten in Glenhaven." The Old dragon replied solemnly. "You looked so happy to be loved again, and I believed you didn't need me."

"Oh, SCREW YOU!" Rune snarled.

The White dragon turned back towards Malefor.

"Rune, get away from him!" Urobos pleaded.

"Do as he says!" Spyro added.

"Shut up." Rune snapped, glaring.

"Malefor is the one who tricked you into coming here to revive your mother!" Albanion shouted. "Look!"

The Flora dragon pointed to the body of Elenar. Rune glanced at her, and then he looked at the crowd again.

"Sure, Malefor tricked me." He stated. "But, in the process, he finally freed me from the curse of being a coward. I owe him a great debt. And as for Mother... She can rot, for all I care."

Rune returned to facing the Evil dragon.

"We've wasted enough time." He stated, bowing again. "A new world awaits for you to destroy, Master."

"Then take us away from here, young dragon." Malefor said, grinning.

Rune turned around yet again and waved a paw in the air, beginning to summon a massive portal.

Most of the dragons ran foward with the intent of stopping Rune and Malefor. As this happened, a great multitude of Crepsculi filled the platform, stopping most of them from reaching the two Evil dragons.

Each and every one of the other dragons fought with great determination, all of them seeking to get to Rune and stop him. Unfortunately, the Crepsculi greatly outnumbered the dragons, preventing most of them from getting far.

However, by sheer chance, three of the Dark and Light dragons managed to get across.

Wraith used is Space element to teleport across the room and land a short distance from Rune and Malefor. As the Crimson dragon was preparing to teleport, Nellie had managed to see what he was doing, and grabbed ahold of the end of his tail. By the time Wraith realized what she was doing, he had already appeared beside the evil dragons. Lastly, just as that was happening. Albanion summoned a massive barrage of vines out of the stone floor around himself and used them to grab ahold of any Crepsculi tried to stop him from getting through.

Before anyone else could make it as well, Malefor, Rune, Nellie, Albanion and Wraith all vanished in a cloud of Purple energy.

"DAMNATION!" Spyro bellowed, punching the floor in anger.

"Where did they go?" Aegis exclaimed.

"Who knows?" Jules answered, shrugging.

Most of the young dragons were horrified. The only one able to stay calm was Tina.

"How could he say and do such things?" Emerald asked.

"It was like Rune was a completely different person!" Blank shouted.

"My brother..." Cyrus began, starting a cry. "I finally become reunited with him, and he becomes a monster!"

Urobos walked up to the Prince, who looked up at the aged dragon.

"Don't say that, Cyrus." He said to his grandson. "Rune hasn't become a full monster just yet."

"Why didn't you tell me you were alive, grandfather?" The Prince demanded. "And why couldn't you stop Rune?"

"Calm down...", The aged Black dragon said, comforting the younger one. "I'll explain everything to you later. But rest assured, this isn't over. I promise you, Rune will be returned to his senses, no matter what the endeavor asks of me."

Suddenly, a weak voice spoke out from out of nowhere.

"...Rune?..."

The other dragons looked around. The voice was coming from the none other than Elenar.

The Pain dragoness had finally awoken, and was trying to get up onto her feet.

"Mother!" Cyrus cried out.

Lilith and Aegis ran over to the weak dragoness, helping her up.

"...Thank you." She said softly.

"Your welcome, your majesty.", The Dark Brown dragon replied.

Cyrus ran up and hugged one of Elenar's forelegs. Elenar smiled, returning the hug.

"It's good to see you again, Cyrus." She said, smiling.

Urobos and the Deep shadows walked up to her.

"Welcome back, Elenar." Urobos said.

"Thank you, Urobos." The dragoness responded. "Please tell me, where is my other son? Where is Rune?"

Spyro approached the Queen, a sullen expression upon his face.

"You had best try to get comfortable, Elenar", the Purple dragon said.

"You are not going to like what we're about to tell you."

**And so ends Act 2. Malefor has returned, Rune has gone completely insane, and the Night of Eternal Darkness is less than an hour away. What will happen when Bane finds out his wife is alive? Will Malefor regain his lost power? Why would Rune willingly aid the Dark Master? And why did his eyes return to normal for a brief moment?**

**Read the rest of the story to find out.**

**Be sure to review my work.**

**Tenebra ecce Veritas.**


	26. Act 3, Chapter 4

Act 3, Chapter 4

Glenhaven

Telus sat before the Pool of Visions in the Elders' chamber. Attonita watched as herally stayed locked in deep meditation beside her

Eventually, the Earth Elder fell out of his trance, and he slumped to the floor. The Lightning Elder looked upon him with concern.

"Any luck yet, Telus?" Attonita asked.

The aged Green dragon frowned.

"None." He stated solemnly.

The female Elder frowned as well.

Ever since Hontus, Seraph, Jules and Voden left to search for their children, Rune, and his kidnappers, Telushad been trying to find the young "Purple" dragon. He had continued the searching for days now. But despite his best efforts, every attempt was always in vain.

"I don't understand it." The Earth Elder said. "In the past, I have been able to use this Pool to find the locations of dozens of dragons, from hatchling to elderly. Before those three Dark dragons arrived, I could have found Rune in a heartbeat. And yet, he has suddenly stayed completely out of our reach. It's almost as if he has vanished off the face of the world completely."

"Surely that isn't the case." Attonita replied.

"Then what _is_ the case?" Telus demanded. "What could possibly keep Rune beyond the limits of my sight for so long?"

"I don't know the answer to that." The Lightning dragoness stated. "If I did, I would have told you it."

"I suppose so..." The Earth Elder said solemnly. "I apologize for my outburst. But still, I wish I could find the answer."

Telus turned to look over at Krystallos.

"What do **you** think?"

The Water Elder was standing on the far side of the chamber, looking out a window. He had been this spot for a considerable portion of time, and hadn't said a word the entire time. He had a worried expression upon his face.

"Krystallos?" Attonita asked, concerned.

"What is troubling you?" Telus added.

"The Moons..." Krystallos finally said.

"What about them?" The Lightning Elder queried.

The Water dragon turned to look at his allies. He had a look of fear in his eyes.

"A most phenomenal Eclypse will shortly be upon us."

...

The Fractured Hills

The battle for the settlement had lasted for days, now.

All across the hills and valleys, smoke and debris from burning buildings scattered allover the land, and the Crepsculi roamed for miles around.

Despair had started to grip the denizens of the main settlement. Tired of their constant struggle against the Black-hided monstrosities, they began to gather what little possessions they could carry and began to flee for their lives to other parts of the Continent.

The ones to organize the mass exodus were Sarah and Graham.

A mass number of dragons and Nondragons over two hundred strong had fled towards the southeast under supervision of the two Memory dragons. Their ultimate destination was Aeroshard.

If it so happened that the monsters chased the fleeing beings, then the citizens of the city of Power could lend them their aid upon seeing the creatures.

As Sarah and Graham took the lead, their daughter Emberella flew right beside them.

The young Pink cub glanced behind herself and cried at the sight of their ruined home.

After being resuced by that Purple dragon, and running into that trio of dragons, Ember had managed to find her way back to her parents. Graham and his guards had managed to defeat the giant Black monster, but several more of them started appearing allover the settlements, keeping the dragons in what seemed like constant peril. When the decision came to finally leave their home, Embere could hardly bear it.

Sarah turned and watched as her daughter shed tears.

"Are you alright, dear?" She asked, concerned.

"Why do we have to leave our home, Mom?" Ember replied miserably.

"We can't stay in the Fractured Hills anymore, Emberella." The adult Pink dragoness answered. "Those monsters are too much for us."

Suddenly, someone far behind them shouted out.

"LOOK!" They screamed, pointing a talon to the sky. "The Moons!"

High above in the heavens, the Twin Moons started moving towards their final destination. As they did this, a feing red aura surrounded them...

...

On another part of the Fractured hills, a Purple-hided Magician and his daughter were looking up at the night sky from their Carriage. They were looking upon the Planet's moons, which were starting to move higher and higher in the night sky.

The young dragoness was horrified, while her father just looked onwards, grinning.

"What's happening, father?" The girl asked.

"A very rare occurence." The Magician answered.

"How rare?"

The adult Purple dragon chuckled.

"This is the first time it's happened since the New Age began."

...

The three metal Carriages had been making its way to the far East for quite some time now.

Saul and his family were heading for the city of Faeshrine. Once there, they were going to take a boat south across the Ocean, and return to their home in Aeroshard.

The Earth dragon was furious.

During all these years since the Twilight War ended, Saul believed that Bane and the rest of the Dark Dragon race had been wiped out. And now, he learns that they were still alive this whole time? Not only that, but they've taken over the city of Warfang and killed all the Light dragons living within, including Olivia's father. The efforts of King Gaius, Saul's father, and Richteriel were in vain.

The dragoness was both enraged and devastated.

"HOW DARE HE DO THIS!" She screamed, tears pouring down the side of her face. "Father was the only family I had left!"

"We need to go back, Dad!" Johnathan demanded, wiping away tears of his own. "That Dark Bastard needs to pay for what he's done!"

"Both of you, calm down." Saul snapped.

The two other Earth dragons just looked at him.

"Believe me, I'm just as horrified as you are." He said, trying to sound soothing through his anger. "But rest assured, we'll find a way to make Bane pay for his crimes.

"But what can we do?" Olivia asked miserably. "That _murderer_ is a Black dragon. He's far more powerful than you or me. And on top of that, he's in control of Warfang, with an entire army of Dark bastards at his beck and call."

"Ah, but _we_ have an army of our own." Saul responded. "Once we return to Aeroshard, I'll begin organizing my forces to launch an attack on Warfang. Furthermore, we'll send word to the surrounding lands that the Dark dragons have returned. It won't be long before we can invade the Veros Outskirts and force Bane to surrender to our superior numbers."

"You really think it'll be that easy, Dad?" Johnathan asked.

"I'm positive. We shall have Bane's head on a pike soon enough!"

After that, the three Earth dragons began to enjoy their trip to Faeshrine.

If any of them had decided to look up at the night sky, they would soon realize that their plans of vengeance against the Black dragon King would be hopeless.

...

Bane came to a stop on one of the mountain peaks, breathing heavily.

He had traveled none stop for hours, and was getting increasingly tired.

"Perhaps I should dip into my reserves of Dark energy", He said to himself. "After all, the Eclipse will be starting soon. I will have enough energy to last a good long while."

Bane looked up at the Mountain range. Mount Erebus towered above the other mountains in the distance.

"I hope I'm not too late"

The Black dragon activated his Dark energy, allowing a feint Black aura to surround most of his body. He then took to flight, completely rejuvenated, and the King continued flying towards Mount Erebus.

But then, a loud explosion of Magic echoed across the mountain range behind him.

"What in the world was THAT?" Bane exclaimed.

He turned and looked in all directions, searching for the source of the noise. He spotted a cloud of Purple smoke rising into the air far off to the south, behind him.

Bane looked between Mount Erebus and the smoke clouds, trying to decide where to go. Finally, Bane decided.

"I'll continue on my trek towards the moutain after I investigate this." He stated to himself

The Black dragon changed directions and flew towards the distant smoke.

...

The five dragons landed in a snow-covered valley somewhere in the Mountains if Inferdus in a cloud of Purple smoke, which slowly faded away.

Malefor and Rune had landed on their feet gracefully, but Wraith, Albanion and Nellie had crashed into the snow. As the three got up to their feet, Malefor laughed at them.

"So you managed to tag along." The Purple dragon stated. "Congratulations."

Albanion snarled.

"Your highness, stop doing this!" He exclaimed.

The White dragon sneered. He walked foward a short distance, the purple aura appearing around him again.

"If you wish to stop me, kill me." He challenged.

"We don't want to hurt you!" Wraith yelled.

"That's foolish of you." Rune stated. "If you don't fight back, I can slaughter you with ease."

Albanion sighed. He looked at his companion.

"Wraith, we have no choice but to subdue prince Rune."

"Are you sure about that?" The Crimson dragon asked.

"Reason has failed us."

Wraith exhaled solemnly.

"I'm sorry, your Highness." He said.

Nellie backed away from the Deep Shadows as they leapt into battle. Rune attacked as well, with the ferocity of a wild animal.

During the fight, Albanion summoned a barrage of vines and branches from the snow-covered ground in an attempt to tie the White dragon down. However, Rune dodged around most of them, and destroyed several other either with his talons and fangs, or a balst of Purple Fire. Wraith tried teleporting allover the place to grab hold of Rune without the young dragon seeing him.

At one point, the Dark Red dragon managed to pin Rune down onto his back with his forepaws. However, the White dragon turned his head around and unleashed a burst of Convexity breath at Wraith's face, causing the Deep Shadow to instincitvely dodge away let the young dragon go.

Rune turned the tides in his favor by summoning a swarm of small Crepsculi to fight for him, diverting the adult dragons' attention away from him.

Nellie watched as Rune and his creatures bombarded the two Deep Shadows.

_How could this happen to you, Rune?_, she thought. _I've got to help get you back to normal. But what can I do?_

The young dragoness looked at the other dragons. Wraith and Albanion were slashing at the Crepsculi, while Malefor was watching them fight with interest.

"You two are quite powerful, I'll give you that." The Purple dragon declared. "Perhaps, if you surrended yourselves to me, I'll let you live on."

"Not on your life!" Albanion snapped. "I serve only **one** man: King Bane!"

"Same here!" Wraith added. "He may be a bit of a nut, but he's far less nutty than YOU are!"

"So be it, then." Malefor sneered. He turned his gaze towards the White dragon.

"As your Master, I command you to put an end to the lives of these interlopers."

"Yes, Master..." Rune said, bowing to the Purple dragon.

The White dragon turned and charged at the two Deep Shadows, a thick aura of Purple energy surrounding most of his body.

Wraith and Albanion soon realized what was about to happen, and turned to dodge out of the way. As soon as Rune got closeby, he unleashed the magic within him.

A massive Purple shockwave exploded out of the White dragon, and went out in all directions. Wraith managed to teleport to get out of harm's way in time, but Albanion wasn't so lucky. The Flora dragon fled as fast as he could move, but part of his hindsection was struck by the attack. A large portion of the robes covering his tail were burned away, as were part of the scales of the limb.

As the Purple energy faded away, the Dark Grey dragon came to a stop and groaned in pain, while Wraith appeared on the other side of the valley.

"Albanion!" He shouted in alarm.

In the meantime, Rune was looking between the two Deep Shadows, grinning evilly. He proceeded to charge his energy, in preparation for another attack.

"Hopeless fools." he said gleefully.

Nellie was shocked by the sight. But then, she noticed something.

Rune had his back turned to the Blue dragoness, and it seemed almost as though he didn't realize she was even there.

Instantly, Nellie got an idea.

As the White dragon was preparing for another attack, the Blue dragoness crept up to him, and began using her Water element. An instant later, all of the snow surrounding Rune suddenly melted into water, rose up, and covered most of his body.

"What?" The White dragon in surprise and alarm.

Before Rune could do anything to get out of he way, the water instantly froze into ice, locking the young dragon in place. Only his head was free to move.

_Sorry, Rune. _Nellie thought sadly._ This is for your own good._

Malefor snarled in anger.

"THE GIRL!" He bellowed.

"Girl?" Rune asked. "What girl?"

The White dragon looked behind himself, and Nellie standing behind him. He gasped in shock.

"Nellie?" He asked, the wrath in his voice vanishing.

The Blue dragoness looked back at Rune, slightly surprised at the sudden change of his tone.

"Rune?"

"What.. What are you doing here?" The White dragon asked again.

Rune's eyes started changing. Once again, they briefly returned to the normal, Golden eyes he always had.

"You.. You could be... killed out here..."

Wraith and Albanion looked over at Rune and Nellie, quite alarmed at the sudden change. Malefor was enraged again.

"Stop dawdling and free yourself, boy!" The Purple dragon sneered.

Instantly, the White dragon's eyes became demonic again, though he still had a look of worry about him somewhat.

"Y.. Yes, Master..."

Rune proceeded to charge his magic to break himself free of his icy prison.

As this happened, Wraith saw a golden opportunity, and teleported. An instant later, The Ice prison exploded in a blast of Purple energy, shards of Ice flying eveywhere. Nellie jumped back in alarm, using her Water element to melt any ice shards that were sent her way into harmless steam.

Just as the White dragon was about to move fowards towards Albanion, Wraith appeared directly above him, bringing one of his forelegs down to pin Rune down on his belly.

"HEY!" Rune snarled in anger.

Before the young dragon could attack again, the Crimson adult used his other foreleg to strike Rune in the back of the neck, right where it met his head.

The White dragon yelped in pain.

"Albanion, NOW!" Wraith exclaimed.

Albanion understood.

The Flora dragon summoned several vines to wrap around Rune's limbs, ankles and body, preventing him from making almost any movement. The young dragon's mouth was tied down as well, enabling only just enough room for him to breath and continue talking.

Rune looked up at Wraith, his eyes blazing with rage.

"You son of a bitch!" The White dragon snarled.

He tried to charge up his energy to attack with a Convexity beam...

...only to find that it didn't work.

"What the?" Rune shouted in alarm.

The young dragon continued trying to use his magic, but not a speck of magical energy came to him.

It was as though his magic was gone.

"What's going on?" Rune exclaimed. "I can't use my magic!"

Wraith sighed in pity.

Albanion ran over to the Crimson dragon. Nellie did the same thing, but was saddened to see Rune in his imprisoned state.

"Why did you strike him?" The Blue dragoness asked.

"Rune may now have a massive amount of power, but he's still only a child."

Wraith pointed out the spot where he struck Rune.

"This spot is very sensitive on younger dragons. It's sort of a pressure-point for their Magical Energy. If they're struck there, they lose the ability to wield their magic for a short time. The spot becomes less sensitive with age."

"N.. No..." Rune stuttered. "My magic..."

The White dragon began to hyperventilate.

"It can't be gone. It just CAN'T be! I NEED IT!"

"Your Highness, please calm down..." Albanion stated solemnly.

Malefor snarled in anger.

"So you have temporarilly subdued my minion." He spat. "No matter. I still have plenty of power on my own. I'll eliminate the three of YOU, and then take back my property."

"Master, help me! PLEASE!" Rune begged. "They'll all come to condemn me again if I'm left like this!"

The Purple dragon glared down into the White dragon's eyes.

"I'll free you once these beasts are dead." He said coldly. "Until then, let that prison serve as a punishment for your failure."

Rune's eyes lit up in horror.

"I... I'm sorry, Master..."

Wraith and Albanion stepped in front of Rune and faced Malefor. Wraith sneered.

"There's no way in the Underworld we're letting you keep the Prince as your minion." The Crimson dragon declared.

The two Deep shadows walked towards the Purple dragon, whose anger began to grow.

"Without Rune, you're defenseless." Albanion stated coldy. He took a moment to look back at the helpless White dragon. "I'm going to personally make you pay for what you've done to him, Malefor!"

The Evil dragon snarled. He crouched down, charging his energy.

"I may be in an unstable state, but I can still fight!"

The Space and Flora dragons crouched into fighting stance, ready to attack Malefor. They had exhausted their magical energy, so they prepared their talons to attack.

"Prove it." Albanion challenged.

Malefor leapt into battle. Albanion and Wraith did the same.

Nellie stood watch as the three dragons clawed and slashed at each other in a flurry of rage.

As this happened, Rune tried to summon a portal of darkness underneath himself to escape. However, that blow to his neck had left him paralyzed in that regard.

"No..." He said again. "I can't be weak again! I don't want to be weak!"

"Rune, calm down. Please..." Nellie pleaded.

"If I'm weak, then everyone will be able to be cruel to me again!"

The White dragon began to whimper in fear.

"Rune, there's no need to cry." The Blue dragoness said soothingly.

Rune turned his gaze to Nellie, who now stood beside him.

"Why would you help them punish me, Nellie?" He asked miserably.

"They aren't going to punish you, Rune." The dragoness reassured. "They just want to help you."

"No, they don't..." The White dragon stated. "Now that I'm a weakling again, they'll all come to exact their vengeance upon me. They'll come in droves just to watch me suffer..."

Nellie sighed in pity, shaking her head.

"Oh, Rune. You're not the boy I remember anymore..."

The Blue dragoness simply looked down as her friend prattled on about all the ways that everyone he knew would torture him.

...

After a long flight, Bane finally arrived at the source of the smoke.

When he came to a landing on the peak of a small mountain, he noticed a group of dragons far below in the adjacent valley. The first ones he spotted were two dark dragons dressed in dark grey robes battling a larger, Purple dragon. He wasn't close enough to analyze any specific features, but Bane could tell right away that the two smaller ones were Deep shadows.

"I wonder how this came to pass?" The Black dragon asked himself.

A short distance away, Bane spotted a small Blue dragoness standing over another young dragon, tied up in Magical vines. He gasped in surprise.

"Is that one's hide... White?" He asked himself, bewidlered. "Hmm, I wonder if that could be..."

As the King tried to figure out what had happend for this scenario to come to pass, he suddenly felt pain in the back of his head. He howled in irritation, and his body started shaking wildly. When the Bane looked to the sky, his eyes lit up in shock.

"It's starting!'

...

Grail ran through the many halls of Warfang Temple, confused and frustrated.

Just a few hours ago, his master Bane had made it adamantly clear that all Dark dragons were to make themselves easy to find when the Eclipse began. And now, it seemed as if the King himself had defied his own orders!

When the Black dragon was found to be missing, Grail, Rose and Nerona ordered their personal squadrons to search both the Temple and The Nexus grounds, as those were the most likely places to find their King.

"Where in The Great Shadow's name could he have vanished to?" He exclaimed in irritation. "How can his Highness disappear when the Night of Eternal Darkness is almost upon us?"

The Silver dragon ran outside and searched for Nerona.

He found the Pain dragoness speaking to several soldiers just beyond the Temple stoop.

"Nerona!" He called to her. She dismissed the Soldiers and, turned ran up to speak with him.

"Any luck finding him?" Grail asked.

"No." She answered.

"Are you sure you do not know where he might have gone?" He demanded.

"If I knew where are Lord had vanished off to, would I not tell you and Rose?"

The Fauna dragon roared in annoyance.

"This is just incredible!" The burly dragon sneered. "Now the **entire** Royal family is gone. Without someone to lead the Dark dragons, anarchy will spread like wildfire!"

"Calm yourself, Grail." Nerona stated. "Perhaps Lord Bane had to attend to a personal matter."

"That's nonsense. His Highness has been preparing for this night for ages! He couldn't have tossed this entire scheme away over a personal matter, and **certainly** not just before its zenith. The people would cry out in outrage."

"That's not entirely true." The dragoness replied.

"What do you mean?"

"There have been some citizens who have become disheartened by our Lord's actions. They keep this to themselves, mostly, but a few have voiced their opinion."

Grail was dumbstruck for a moment.

He had personally believed that King Bane was akin to a savior. He didn't think of the possibility that some Dark dragons would oppose their Lord's actions.

"If some of them attempt to revolt, we will strike them down." He stated coldly. "We cannot allow anything to interfere with the coup."

"There haven't been plans to revolt yet." Nerona replied. "The citizens merely wish for-"

Suddenly, Grail felt a sudden, jarring pain on the back of his neck. The dragoness seemed to feel discomfort as well.

"Do you feel that?" He asked.

"Yes!" She exclaimed.

The two Deep Shadows, as well as countless other Dark dragons, looked to the sky.

High up in the heavens above. the Twin Moons had reached the peak of their ascent. They both glowed completely Blood Red, and the great expanse of sky immediately surrounding them suddenly turned pitch black. The rest of the heavens started changing to Black in turn, and the darkness extended all arcross the distant horizon, swallowing up every shread of unearthly light that it held.

...

All across the world, Light dragons suddenly felt a great and intense agony as their Magic faded from existance, and their once vibrant hides deteriorated a low, pale hue.

Telus and Attonita watched in shock and horror as Krystallos suddenly crumpled to the floor, his hide becoming sickly.

"KRYSTALLOS!" They shouted.

"I feel... cold..." The Water elder moaned.

The Lightning dragoness immediately ran forwards to help her companion.

When she stepped within the shot of the moonlight, Attonita suddenly turned ill as well, and toppled to the floor.

"By the Ancestors!" Telus shouted, alarmed.

"Don't... approach the moonlight..." Krystallos warned.

"What's becoming of us...?" Attonita cried out.

The Earth Elder just stood helplessly before his allies, completely unsure of what to do.

...

The dragon denizens of the Fractured Hills all screamed in pain at once, the Nondragon beings becoming greatly confused and horrified.

Emberella began crying much harder, her tears now those of Physical turmoil instead of Emotional.

"Mom.. Dad..." She choked.

The adult Memory dragons struggled to wrap her forelegs around their frightened daughter.

"I'm here..." Sarah said weakly.

"As am I..." Graham coughed.

...

When the Eclypse began, the Magician suddenly grabbed his daughter and pulled her away from the window. He then shut the blinds over each and every one of the windows of his Carriage.

"What are you doing that for, father?" the young dragoness asked, confused.

"It's best for you to stay out of the moonlight." The Magician warned. "We wouldn't want to find out what could happen to you. What with your... condition."

...

The Three Earth dragons in the metal Carriage all slumped to the floor of the vehicle as the Red moonlight shined through their windows, the Cabby completely unaware of the event.

"What's going on...?" Saul asked, horrified.

"Make it stop..." Olivia pleaded.

"Help..." Johnathan begged.

...

As the Light dragons of the world grew weaker by the second, the Dark dragons grew stronger at the same rate.

Each and every one of their bodies shook violently, almost beyond their control. A feint Black aura surrounded their bodies, and they became filled with incredible power. The power of Darkness.

The Night of Eternal Darkness had finally begun.

...

After explaining to Elenar the events that led to Rune becoming filled with Malefor's Convexity, the group decided that they needed to find him and the others.

They started wandering though the catacombs to return to the mouth of Mount Erebus. As they neared the entryway, something incredible, and terrifying happened.

As Urobos, Cyrus, Elza and Elenar stepped into the reach of the moonlight, they all started twitching in pain, nearly collapsing to the ground. The other dragons watched in awe as the four Dark dragons became surrounded with Black auras.

Tina, Aegis and Lilith ran forwards to help their comrades get back onto their feet.

"What's happening?" Seraph asked, alarmed.

"It's the Night of Eternal Darkness." Urobos answered, his eyes glowing white for a short time. "When it starts, every Dark dragon in the world is temporarilly filled with incredible powers of Darkness. This pain is felt as a side effect of the process."

"You light dragons shouldn't leave the mountain." Spyro advised "If a Light dragon is exposed to the moonlight during the Eclipse, they feel a terrible agony, and temporarilly lose all of their Light magic."

"Why isn't anything happening to Lilith, Tina or Aegis?" Blank asked.

"We aren't natural Dark dragons", The Dark Brown dragon responded. "We won't gain any more power than we already have. But since we're not Light dragons anymore, we won't lose power either. It's still safe for us to be exposed to the night."

"For your sake, I hope you're right." Hontus said, concerned.

Elenar was the first to stop twitching in pain.

She had finally regained her Pain element, and was using it to heal herself. She then used it to heal the other natural Dark dragons of their minor suffering.

"I can't imagine what this boost in power will do to Rune." She stated worriedly.

...

Malefor was knocked to the ground, a great gash cut across his side. Instead of blood, purple energy started forming around the wound.

Albanion and Wraith stood over him, both Deep Shadows covered in minor wounds and breathing hearilly.

"You're finished, Malefor." Albanion sneered, preparing to land a killing blow.

"That's what **you** believe, but this is far from over!" Malefor declared.

The Evil dragon started stepping backwards, charging his magic for another Convexity shockwave.

But right before either dragon could attack, a great burst of pain erupted in the back of the two Deep Shadow's heads. The same thing happened to Nellie and Rune.

Malefor just stood before the weakened dragons, confusion upon his face.

"What trickery is this?" He asked.

Albanion and Wraith's eyes glowed white for a brief time. Unbeknownst to them, the same thing happened to Bane up above.

"The night of Eternal Darkness has begun!" Wraith shouted.

The Deep shadows' bodies started glowing with a black aura. In the meantime, Nellie had fallen over onto the snow. Her body became paler, and she screamed from the pain.

"Make it stop!" She exclaimed, twitching. She could feel the Magical energy within her vanish, as though it were being sucked out of her.

At the same time, Rune's body starting pulsing with black and purple energy. A portal of darkness opened underneath him, swallowing him up. He soon reappeared standing inbetween Wraith and Albanion, laughing.

"This power..."

He quickly shoved the Flora dragon away and stabbed Wraith in the chest with his talons. The Dark energy in the Deep shadow started flowing out of him, and into the Rune. Wraith screamed in agony.

"Stop it!" He demanded.

"Give me yours!" He shouted.

Albanion ran up from behind in an attempt to pull the White dragon away from Wraith, but Rune blasted the Dark Grey dragon square in the chest with Convexity blast, weakening him.

Once Wraith's aura had been almost completely drained, Rune blasted him with another Convexity beam, sending the Crimson dragon flying backwards several yards. The White dragon then vanished in a cloud of purple smoke, and reappeared floating in the air directly behind Albanion.

Bane gasped.

"The White one is no dragon.", He said to himself. "He is a Demon!"

Rune struck Albanion in the back of the head, weakening him. Rune then stabbed the Flora dragon in the back of the neck, draining him of his Dark Energy. As the Deep Shadow writhed in pain, Purple Lightning started cackling across Rune's body. Once Albanion was completely drained, his head fell down onto the ground.

"If I try to step in, the same fate will befall **me**." Bane said to himself.

Rune's body started pulsing Black and Purple. Lightning danced across his entire body. He suddenly found it harder to stand still, as he proceeded to shake where he stood.

"You're absorbing too much power!" Wraith shouted, slowly getting back up. "Your small body can't contain that much energy. If you don't release it, it'll tear you apart!"

"Who cares what you say?" Rune shouted.

The White dragon turned towards Malefor and walked up to him, a smile on the his face.

"Isn't this incredible, Master?" He asked happily. "Look at all this power I have! Nothing could POSSIBLY stop us **now**!"

"Yes..." The Purple dragon said coldly.

Rune turned completely around and stared at the fallen dragons.

"Look on, fools!" He declared. "Thanks to the Night of Eternal Darkness, I have so much power within me that I am now INVINCIBLE!"

"You're losing your mind, Rune!" Albanion shouted from his spot on the ground.

Bane's eyes nearly shot out of his head.

_THAT is Rune?_

"I don't care what you think!" The White dragon snarled. "With this power, my Master Malefor and I shall be the most powerful beings in the Dragon Realms!"

"That is where you are wrong." Malefor stated.

"What?" Rune asked, confused.

Without warning, the Purple dragon reached forwards with both forepaws and drove his talons into the younger one's sides.

Rune howled in pain.

"What are you doing?" He exclaimed, alarmed.

"This world is my own to conqeur," Malefor begain, "I cannot allow any to have enough power to rival or surpass my own."

Horror flashed in the young dragon's Demonic eyes.

"But-"

"Do not think that I going to destroy you, young dragon." Malefor quickly added. "In fact, your body is in far better condition to harness the power of Convexity than my current one, and has an incredible storage of power at its disposal. So, I shall be taking your body as my own."

The young dragon gasped in shock.

"Consider this another boon I am granting you: To become a part of the Dark Master."

"No!" Rune protested. "Let go of me!"

The young dragon tried to get away, but his fate was sealed.

Malefor started glowing completely Purple as his unstable body began breaking itself down into Convexity. The massive cloud of Purple cloud of energy then began surrounding the small White dragon an all sides, almost hiding him from view.

"RUNE!" The others in the valley cried out, horrified.

The Black-and-Purple energy that Rune already had started merging with the Convexity energy, and the two began creating a large, Purple-and-Black Cyclone around the young dragon. And then, the Cyclone turned completely White, and Rune vanished from view. However, he could be heard screaming out from within it.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Suddenly, the Cyclone exploded, becoming a Gigantic geyser of Purple Fire that erupted from the ground. It was so large and so wide, the other dragons had to flee to the very edges of the valley just to avoid being trapped in it. The snow in the valley was instantly melted into steam, which then faded into nothingness within seconds, and the earth beneath the dragons' feet began to shake violenty. The explosion of magic was so loud, it caused the dragons to grab their earholes and try to block out the noise to avoid pain.

The Geyser shot high into the sky, rising high above even Bane. The King was tossed backwards from the magical recoil, landing on his back as the geyser continued rising.

"Incredible!" He said.

The Geyser of Purple Flames stood before the dragons, towering over them like ants before a wildfire.

After a moment, two giant white wings extended out of the Fire, which began to fade out of existance. The next thing to be seen were two great Yellow eyes, like Malefor's. Once the Purple flames had vanished completely, and the dragons gasped in horror.

Before them was a White Dragon of impossible size: It could easilly hold a normal adult dragon in it's forepaw.

It had almost the same body build as Malefor, but the Blue Symbols that represented Clan Aries and Clan Capricorn shown brightly in their proper places, although a Blood Red color instead of Blue. Its Underbelly and talons were a disgusting shade of Red. The beast had nine horns on its head: Two over each eye belonged to Rune, while three more inbetween and sandwiching them belonged to Malefor. The final four smaller ones shot out from the dragon's lower jaw, just like the ones belonging to Cynder and Bane. The dragon's thick long mane was the same color as Rune's, though it seemed to also change to an ethereal Purple color in various places from time to time.

Albanion and Wraith crawled away from the behemoth, their mouths open in fright. Nellie was shaking in fear. Even Bane was horrified.

The beast looked down at the pathetic three dragons, smirking with pride. Whe he spoke, his voice sounded as though he spoke with **hundreds** of voices at once.

"That is right. Cower before me."

Wraith built up the nerve to speak.

"Malefor?" He queried. The Behemoth laughed.

"Yes." He answered. "Behold, little dragons: I, Malefor, have become like a God."

"What have you done with Rune?" Albanion demanded.

"Is it not obvious?" Malefor asked. "THIS is Rune's body. I have altered it, so that it can contain all of the Convexity within it without incident."

"You're disgusting!" Albanion spat. "How could anyone possess a child's body, and transform it into such a hulking mass of Evil! You're far more insane than Bane is!"

Bane was hurt by the comment.

_He really does believe I'm insane._

The Demonic Dragon glared down at Albanion. He then grabbed the Deep Shadow in a forepaw and proceeded to crush him. The Flora dragon cried out in agony.

"Call me what you will. I have become a new entity, far greater than any normal dragon, Light or Dark."

Malefor then tossed Albanion against the side of a mountain.

"Albanion!" Wraith shouted. He then glared up at the behemoth.

"You despicable bastard!" The Dark Red dragon snarled. "I swear I'll get you for this!"

The Demonic Dragon laughed a horrible, ethereal cackle.

"What do you think you can do, Crimson drake?" He chided. "You are next to powerless, while _I_ am nigh unstoppable. You are so far beneath me, it is a joke to even speak to you

Malefor prepared to lift himself itno flight. He looked down at Wraith and Nellie, who had run over to the Deep Shadow.

"Stay away from me, and I'll spare your lives, for now. I shall leave for Warfang: More spoils await for the plunder."

Bane hid from view as the Demonic dragon lifted off into the sky and started flying south to Warfang. Wraith glared at Malefor as he started to leave his view.

"No.." The Crimson dragon snarled.

Wraith lifted off into the sky to follow Rune. The Blue dragoness followed Wraith, staying a short distance away.

...

Bane watched as the gigantic beast that used to be his son flew south, Wraith and Nellie doing there best to keep from being noticed. As they left, the Black dragon looked over at where Albanion had landed and flew to him.

Most of the bones in Albanion's body had been broken, and he bled allover.

"Albanion, are you still alive?" Bane asked.

The Flora dragon coughed harshly, blood flying out of his mouth, and looked up at the Black dragon.

"Bane..." He struggled to say. "Your son...he's become possessed by..."

"I know, my friend. I witnessed the whole thing. But I'm focused on you right now."

Bane called upon his heigtened power of the Water and Pain elements and proceeded to heal Albanion. His bones snapped back into place and mended themselves, and the blood that had pooled around Albanion started to flow back into his wounds, the latter sealing up afterwards.

Once the Dark Grey dragon appeared completely healed of his injuries, Bane helped him up onto his feet.

"Thank you." Albanion said. "But what are you doing here, your Highness?"

"You were right all along, Albanion." Bane said, bowing his head to him. "I was driven by a lust for revenge to eliminate the Light dragon race. I was a fool. The Great Shadow herself appeared to me and convinced me I was mistaken. She told me to go to the Pit of the Fallen to try and stop my sons from reviving Malefor by accident. But that probably sounds ridiculous to you."

"Not at all." The Flora drago replied "In fact, her mate, the Purple dragon known as Lord Spyro, has led me and several others to these mountains, in hopes of stopping Rune and Cyrus."

"Spyro?"

"And your father Urobos as well. He's alive too."

Bane just looked at his friend in disbelief. Albanion sighed.

"There is much to explain, but there's no time. We failed to stop the your sons from resurrecting Malefor, and he has taken possession over Rune, mutating his body into a diant white Behemoth in the process. We have to stop that Demon! Who knows what havoc he'll wreak upon the world in his new state!"

"I'll go after him." The Black dragon said. "You've been drained of your magic, whereas I still have plenty. Just stay here."

"As you wish, my lord."

Bane took to the skies and chased after the other dragons.

A few minutes later, Albanion regained enought strength to fly as well. He was going to fly after Bane, but heard several dragons approaching from behind him. He turned around to see Spyro, Urobos, Elenar, Cyrus, Tina and the other Deep shadows appear before him.

The group came to a landing before the Flora Dragon

"What has happened?" Urobos asked. "Where are Malefor, Rune, and the others?"

"We have a monsterous problem." Albanion replied

He began telling them what took place.


	27. Act 3, Chapter 5

Act 3, Chapter 5

Malefor flew over the Mountains of Inferdus, nearing the Veros Outskirts.

It was a great struggle for Wraith and Nellie to keep up with him, the latter breathing heavily. Wraith glared at her to quiet down. Several times, he mouthed to her to stop following and land. It was dangerous enough for Wraith to follow Malefor on his own. It would be far worse for the young dragoness, especially considering how she had lost half of her strength and all of her magical energy.

Far behind them, Bane was catching up to the other dragons. He used his Wind element to boost his speed, and his Sound element to make himself completely silent in the air. He also purposely stayed just beyond the other dragons' ability to see or sense him. The King didn't want to make his presence known just yet.

Once the Behemoth reached the point where the Mountians of Inferdus and the Veros Outskirts connected, he suddenly shifted around to face the two dragons.

"**This** is where you stop following me."

The two gasped. Malefor only laughed.

"How foolish do you think I am, little dragons? I could sense your energy the whole time."

Luckilly for Bane, he had managed to stay far enough away to avoid being noticed by the White Behemoth.

Malefor opened his mouth and fired a a small barrage of Convexity blasts at Wraith. The Dark Red dragon dodged out of the way of most of the blasts. However, a few of the Purple Orbs of energy collided with several parts of Wraith's sides, burning large holes in his robes. He howled in pain, but managed to stay in the air.

The White behemoth continued firing Convexity blasts after the Deep Shadow, forcing him to fly as fast as he could to avoid getting hit again. Eventually, Wraith started becming tired, and made the mistake of flying too close to Malefor while trying to catch his breath.

The Demonic dragon saw an opportunity, and struck the Crimson dragon with one of his forepaws. The Deep shadow was sent hurtling to the ground, crashing violently into the land. To make sure he didn't start flying again, Malefor crushed Wraith's tail and hind legs with his forepaw. The Dark Red dragon roared in pain.

"Let's see you teleport out of harm's way NOW." Malefor said, laughing at the dragon's pain. "Tell you what, Crimson drake: If you beg for mercy, perhaps I shall put you out of your misery quickly."

"Damn...you.." Wraith said weakly. The Behemoth sneered.

"Have it your way, then."

Malefor opened his great maw, and started charging his energy. He was about to blast Wraith with a gigantic Convexity beam. But just before he unleashed the attack, Nellie ran up to the White Behemoth.

"Stop it!" She screamed.

The Demonic dragon stopped charging his breath and glanced down.

"Hmmm? What have we here?" Malefor asked.

He lowered his giant head down to the dragoness, acting as though he neeeded a closer look to see her.

"Why, it's a little Water dragoness. The same one that the boy seemed to know quite well."

Nellie gasped.

"What do you mean?"

"Rune is still present within this great form." Malefor stated. "He is a permanent squatter in this body, and as such I have been able to see into his memories. I have learned that you have had quite a habit of pestering Rune, as well as always trying to get inside his head."

The Blue dragoness sneered up at the Demonic dragon.

"I never did any of that!" She shouted.

"Oh, but you have." Malefor replied. "Time and time again, you have tried sticking your snout where it didn't belong. You have always gotten on the boy's nerves by trying to learn as much as you can about him."

"But..." Nellie began. "That was because I..."

"Because what?" The Behemoth queried. "Are you about to say that you've always 'cared' for Rune? Well, judging from what Rune's mind has shown me, I suppose you have cared... About the wrong things, and too much too often."

"No, I..."

"Rune has also had a deep-seated animosity towards you and the rest of those children in that city. The girl called Emerald has always been a pompous windbag who thinks she's better than most others because of her supposedly superior family bloodline. The Orange-hided Blankridge is nothing more than an air-headed troublemaker, who had a knack for dragging Rune along in his schemes and shenanigans. And last, but most, **you**... Oh, how Rune has a deep-seated hatred for you."

The Blue dragoness's eyes lit up.

"You're lying!" She shouted.

"Am I, little dragoness?" Malefor chided. "If I am speaking with a silver tongue, then how is it I know that Rune has lived in your family for the last five years? How do I know about the rivalry you have with that other girl over who will win Rune's affections? It doubt it would ever be you, though: After all, Rune is sickened by the sight of you."

"Shut up..." Nellie muttered.

"Whenever you pester the boy too much, he loses his cool and lets his anger explode at you. Then you get scared, sometimes crying, and somebody has to comfort you, usually Rune. But you never learn. Instead, you continue trying to win Rune over."

Tears welled up on the dragoness's face.

"And what an idiotic idea in it's own right. To think, a pathetic little dragoness such as yourself having a crush on a being as powerful as **him**. He never had interest in a creature so weak, and yet you continued to have hopes of getting close to him."

Malefor started to turn around to return to his trek towards Warfang.

"Turn around and fly away, little dragoness." He said behind himself. "You are far too weak for me to waste my time killing."

And with that, the Behemother continued flying towards the city of Commerce.

As Nellie watched him, she suddenly became enraged.

How DARE Malefor say those things! There was no way Rune could ever despise her!

"DAMN YOU!" She roared.

Without thinking, the Water dragoness took to flight, heading straight for the tip of Malefor's tail. Wraith watched her as she did this.

"What are you doing?" He shouted.

Once she was close enough, Nellie opened her mouth and bit down hard into the top part of the tailtip.

Malefor stopped, and turned his head to snarl down at the tiny dragoness.

"You just made a terrible mistake, little girl."

Without warning, the Behemoth swung the end of his tail and his head so that the two came close together. He opened his great mouth, and moved his tail so that the end of it ended up inside his maw.

Nellie screamed in horror as she let go of Malefor's tail and tried to fly away.

However, it was too late for her.

The Behemoth slammed his mouth shut over his tail, and then slid the limb outwards, keeping Nellie trapped behind his fangs. Malefor then tilted his head back, and swallowed the dragoness whole: A bulge could be seen as Nellie was forced down his throat.

Bane grimaced as he watched the spectacle, while Wraith was horrified.

"THAT'S DISGUSTING!" The Crimson dragon screamed.

After gagging a few times, Wraith threw up onto the ground. Malefor shook his head, distaste on his face.

"The girl tasted like dirt." He then glanced down at the Deep Shadow, who was still disgusted by the act of cannibalism.

"I am no longer in the mood to kill you, so you can just lie there and die slowly. I have other matters to attend to."

Once again, Malefor took to flight and turned around, continuing his journey to Warfang. When it seemed like the coast was clear, Bane flew down to Wraith, who was throwing up yet again. When the Dark dragon spotted the King, he had a look of confusion.

"Your Highness?' Wraith asked. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story, my friend." Bane answered.

The Black dragon proceeded to heal Wraith's injuries, careful not to step in the puddles of bile around him. After the Deep Shadow was healed, Bane helped him to his feet, having him step away from the vomit.

"That poor girl" Wraith said sadly. "I couldn't do anything to save her!"

"Don't worry about the Blue one." Bane replied. Wraith glared at his King.

"What? How can you say that? Just because she's a Light dragon doesn't mean she should be left to suffer such a gruesome fate!"

"That is not what I meant, Wraith", the King reassured. "I meant that there's nothing to worry about. I believe I can save her."

"How?" The Crimson dragon asked. "It's only a matter of time before Nellie is dissolved by that Beast's stomach acid."

Bane held out his right forepaw. His sword appeared in his palm via a cloud of smoke.

"Oh, I have an idea how..." He said. He made the sword vanish, while Wraith grimaced again.

"I see..." He stated.

"Wraith, travel north and try to find Albanion." Bane commanded. "I will attend to Malefor myself."

"But-" Wraith protested.

"That's an order." The King said solemnly. The Deep Shadow sighed in annoyance.

"As you wish, your highness."

The two dragons took to the air and went their separate ways, Wraith flying north, and Bane flying south after the Behemoth.

...

In the city of Warfang, Grail ordered the army of Dark Dragon soldiers to mobilize.

He and the other Deep Shadows had yet to find his Majesty. They wished to search for him more, but they decided that they had a more important matter to attend to: Getting the King's plan underway.

The Eclipse was going to last for 168 hours.

In that time, the army of Dark dragons was going to strike in a massive, Counterclockwise pattern dictated by Bane himself:

First, the Valley of Avalar would be taken over. Next would be the Raunn Jungle, followed by the Pyrus Volcanoes. Afterwards, the Aechos Valley would be conqured, and then the city of Glenhaven. Aeroshard would come next, followed by the Mountians of Kilon. Lastly, the Tarune Forest and the city of Faeshrine would be taken over.

Grail didn't understand why King Bane would choose such a bizarre pattern, but he would follow his orders nonetheless. In any case, once a new territory had been claimed, the same thing that happened in Warfang would happen there: The Adult and teenaged Light dragons would be slain in their moment of weakness, while their eggs, hatchlings and cubs would be transformed into Dark dragons. Bane was only needed for this final step, so the Deep Shadows could take over for him in the meantime, until he reappears.

By the time the Eclypse ended a week from that day, the entirety of the Dragons of the world will be of the Dark kind, and Bane will be crowned ruler of the entire world.

Grail stood before the army that was formed before the dragon temple, Nerona and Rose on either side of him. the Fauna dragon had Rose cast a Sound spell on him to increase the volume of his voice.

"Greetings, my friends and allies." He began. "Though I am not our glorious leader, I have the honor of preparing you for the first part of our plan to eliminate the dragons of Light. I will not lie to you: There is a chance that some of you may die during the next week, if the Moles and Cats of the world rise up against us. But rest assured, your name will be honored for your service to the Dark dragon race. You will die, so that many others may live!"

The army of dark dragons voiced their agreement.

"Our first destination will be the Valley of Avalar, which lies to the West of here, on the other side of the Veros Outskirts. As most of you may know, many Moles, Cats, and other species live amongst dragons in that region. Remember, you are only to slay Light dragons. And if they surrender, you are to kill them quickly and painlessly. Take all other creatures prisoner if it is a requirement, but do not lay waste to their lives."

The Army was silent. Each warrior among them knew not to kill the wrong species.

"I will lead the charge. I pray that The Great Shadow will look after us, and bless with victory and-"

Before Grail could finish, a great roar in the distance echoed across the city. Many dragons looked around in confusion.

"What in the world was that?" Grail asked, his voice now at normal volume.

Suddenly, a sentry flew down to the Silver dragon, panting hysterically.

"Sir Grail!" He shotued. "A giant White monster is approaching from the North!"

"What?' Rose asked, incredulous.

"Come see for yourselves!" The sentry exclaimed, frantic.

...

The sentry led the three Deep Shadows up to the Temple Roof. He then handed Grail a smnall telescope. The Silver dragon looked through it towards the north, searching for anything that looked like a giant White beast.

At first, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"What monster?" Grail asked. "I see nothing but the Veros Outskirts."

Suddenly, another roar erupted across the land. The Fauna dragon and the other Deep Shadows nearly jumped out of their hides.

A great blur appeared on the horizon.

"What is THAT?" Rose exclaimed.

"Use a higher setting, Sir!" The sentry said.

Grail adjusted the telescope and looked again. He gasped in shock.

A gigantic White-hided, Dragon-like Monstrosity appeared on the horizon, flying towards the city.

"Quick, Rose! Enhance my voice agian!" Grail shouted. The Silver dragoness did as he said, and the male Silver turned around to face the army below him.

"DEFEND THE CITY!" He roared. "A GIANT WHITE BEAST IS ABOUT TO ATTACK US!"

The amry scrambled into action. Hundreds of Dark dragons flew to the North part of the city.

"WAIT!" Rose quickly added, her voice just as loud as Grail's. "HALF OF YOU, DEFEND THE NEXUS AT ALL COSTS! DON'T LET THE BEHEMOTH GET TO THE CHILDREN!"

Dozens of the soldiers flew up to The Nexus and proceeded to surround it, ready to fight to the death. The other soldiers stationed themselves on the Northern side of the city's Wall..

"If only our King was here." Nerona said solemnly.

"Well he isn't!" Grail snapped.

"What should the three of us do?" Rose asked.

"What do you **think** we do?" Grail asked back. "We FIGHT!"

The three Deep Shadows flew towards the Northern part of the city. They then broke up into separate directions, each one joining a part of the army.

As Nerona flew towards her section of the soldiers, a gleam broke out along her face.

She produced a telescope of her own from within her robes, and turned to look upon the approching monster. When she saw it, she chuckled malevolently.

"Incredible..." She stated. "It's just like he predicted..."

Once she had gotten enough of beholding the approaching monster, Nerona turned and resumed flying towards the soldiers.

The entirety of the Dark dragon army waited for the Mysterious enemy to approach, ready to fight with their lives to defend their territory...

...

Albanion, Elza, Lilith, Aegis, Tina, Cyrus, Urobos, Spyro, and Elenar were travelling south towards the Veros Outskirts.

During the journey, the newly-revived dragoness began thinking of what she had learned, a sullen expression on her face.

According to what her family said, after Bane lost the Dark Grey dragoness to the Underworld, he had become morbidly depressed. He allowed no one to try and comfort him, and was convinced that he would only be reunited with his lover again once he died.

However, at some point, the sadness within the Black dragon turned to rage when he thought of what the Light dragons did to the people of The Hive, and he desired vengeance via bloodshed. To make matters worse, a few of the Deep Shadows, especially Grail and Rose, desired the same thing, and helped fuel Bane's ambitions.

When the King's ultimate plan was formulated, Cyrus failed to get his father to listen to reason. After that, the young dragon went through the effort of trying to find a way to raise the dead, so that Elenar could return to life and help stop Bane's madness. Cyrus discovered the revival ritual in one of the old Tomes in the Library on The Nexus, tore the page out, and fled towards the Pit of the Fallen.

And now, here the dragoness was, alive once again and freed from being Malefor's slave.

One the one paw, she was happy to see her son Cyrus, father-in-law Urobos, and best friends Albanion and Elza again. Cyrus had grown from a chubby little cub to a handsome young dragon, and Albanion and Elza were the same headstrong people as the Pain dragoness remembered.

On the other paw, she was devastated by what Bane had become. His kindhearted nature had been replaced by fury, insanity, and a desire for suicide. Elenar was the only one whom he desired, and the dragoness would be the only one he'd listen to, according to what her son believed.

But her worries for Bane paled in comparison to the sorrow she felt for Rune...

Eventually, Elenar and the other dragons came to the point where the Mountians of Inferdus met the Veros Outskirts.

It wasn't long before they saw a Dark Red dragon flying through the sky, approaching the group.

"It's Wraith." Albanion stated.

The Dark Dragons came to a landing just as the Crimson one spotted them, and they regrouped within a short moment. Wraith seemed to be somewhat sickly.

"Hi..." He said halfheartedly.

"Are you alright?" Urobos asked, concerned.

"I'd rather not talk about what I just saw..." The Dark Red dragon stated.

"Why not?" Spyro queried.

"I'm just not strong enough at the moment..."

"I see..." Urobos stated.

"Malefor's still headed for Warfang." Wraith quickly said. "King Bane's chasing after him."

Elenar's eyes lit up.

"Bane?" She repeated, astonished. "He's here?"

"Well, I wouldn't say 'here' exactly," The Dark Red dragon replied, "But he's on the Outskirts. That much I can say."

The Pain dragoness sighed. She then turned towards Elza.

"Elza?" She asked.

"Yes, Elenar?" The Wind dragoness queried. "What is it?"

Elenar took a deep breath.

"May I please borrow your Robes?"

...

The city of Warfang was appearing on the Horizon.

Malefor grinned with satisfaction. He was planning on killing every other dragon that still lived, and steal their power for his own devices. His first target was Warfang, because that was the closest cluster of Dragon to where he was.

As the Demonic Dragon approached Warfang, Bane was gaining on him from behind.

He had managed to keep his presence unknown up to this point. But he knew he would need to get the beast's attention if he was going to stop him. Thinking up a plan to put an end to Malefor's rampage before it began, Bane summoned his sword into his forepaw once again.

The Black dragon used his Wind and Sound elements to swoop in on the Behemoth like a silent bullet. Bane extended his sword outwards as he got close, and drove the tip of the blade into the base of Malefor's back, where it met his tail. The Demonic dragon roared in pain as the Black one dragged the sword along his back and up his neck, leaving a massive, bleeding wound the whole way. Bane then pulled his sword free of the monster's flesh and flew up and over the Beast's head. The King righted himself and floated a good distance away from Malefor's face.

Malefor glared at the black dragon, growling.

"You." The White Behemoth said. Bane glared at Malefor's great yellow eyes, the same eyes he had seen so long ago. A look of animosity appeared on the King's face.

When Bane last looked into Malefor's eyes seven years ago, They were looking upon the Black dragon in horror as he destroyed the Purple ones body from the inside out. And now, he was looking into them yet again, inside the twisted body of his own son.

"It's been seven years, hasn't it?" The Demonic dragon sneered.

Bane scowled.

"Yes, it has."

"It is only fitting that we are to meet again." Malefor stated. "When last we met, I swore to exact my vengeance upon you for destroying my body and cursing me to roam the next world. After a short period of two years, my revenge came in the form of your beloved wife."

The Black dragon snarled.

"You lied to Elenar about the price required to resurrect my son Rune." He sneered. "You then placed a part of your influence within him, and spent five years molesting my wife in the Underworld. You then lied to Rune about being able to bring her back, and as a final act of spite, you have taken over his body as your new shell."

"Actually," The behemoth responded, "I did not expect your son to be as powerful as he is. So, I have bonded with him to make his power my own. He fought it at first, but I have gotten him to agree with my influence. Why, I almost wish to thank you for providing this chain of events for me. But then I remember that it was your attempt to eliminate me that led to their beginning in the first place. Oh, what a crossroads I have arrived at."

Bane roared lowly.

"Do not think that you can hide inside my son's body to escape your retribution, Malefor." He spat. "I know that Rune still lies dormant within you, and I intend to free him. After that, I will be sure to finish what I started all that time ago. I will **DESTROY** you, Malefor: Mind and Soul!"

The behemoth laughed at Bane's comment, but the Black dragon remained stonefaced. Once Malefor instinctively shut his eyes, the smalle dragon immediately tossed his sword fowards and stabbed him between the eyes.

The Demonic dragon roared in pain and annoyance as blood pooled around the wound. In the meantime, Bane called upon the energy within his Crystal, and used it to fire a blast of Convexity directly at Malefor's face. The Behemoth noticed this, and fired a blast of Convexity of his own.

The two Purple beams collided in midair, and started pushing against each other.

Bane fought valiantly to push his beam fowards as far as he could. It was no easy task: even with his heightened power, The Black dragon's Convexity was no match for Malefor's in terms of size and quantity. It was only through merging his Convexity with his latent Dark energy reserves did he perservere.

When Bane managed to get his beam almost all the way to Malefor's mouth, The Black dragon swiftly dove to the side, allowing the Behemoth's beam to fly fowards into the air, hurtling through space at incredible speeds. The Black dragon was nearly tossed through the air by the recoiling air.

Bane swooped fowards, summoned his sword again, and slashed at Malefor's massive underbelly. The Behemoth roared in anger, trying to turn around so he could attack Bane directly. The black dragon started flying around Malefor's torso, constantly staying just out of Malefor's reach, and doing his best to damage him with his blade.

"HOLD STILL, YOU BOTHERSOME PEST!" The Behemoth roared.

_I won't be able to defeat him like this_, Bane thought. _I should change strategies and rescue the girl._

The Black dragon flew up directly in front of Rune's face again.

"Here I am, Malefor!" He declared.

The White beast opened his mouth to fire another Convexity breath upon the Black dragon. Bane flew straight at the Malefor's open maw. He had an idea.

The Black dragon extended his free forepaw towards the direction from which the Convexity was going to come from. Bane then channeled his Convexity energy through his outstretched limb and out his paw and. In only a few short seconds the Purple energy began transforming into a giant spherical shield, which surrounded the Black dragon. He then waited for Malefor's attack to be unleashed.

_I pray that this works. Otherwise, I am done for._

The Demonic dragon fired his Convexity breath, and the beam shot straight for the sphere. The Purple energy of the breath flowed around Bane's sphere, and continued fowards in its path, as it the sphere wasn't even in the way.

_Aha! It worked!_

As soon as Malefor's Convexity came to an end, Bane immediately made his shield vanish. Before the Behemoth could figure out what had happened, the Black dragon shot fowards like a cannon. He flew directly into the beast's mouth, and dove down his throat.

The Behemoth was stunned by what just happened.

"Did that fool just sacrifice himself to me?" He queried in bewilderment.

He grunted.

"No matter. If he has willingly become a meal, then I will no longer need to deal with him."

Malefor resumed traveling to Warfang, now believing that the King was as good as dead.

...

Bane held his breath as he descended, doing his best to block out the sickening scent of the inner wall of Malefor's throat. The Black dragon had also closed his wings and made his sword disappear, so that he may move faster. Even though he was surrounded by pitch black darkness, the King could feel himself being pushed along by the muscle lining aroud him.

_I pray that I never have to do this again_, he grimaced in his mind.

After only a short moment, Bane was pushed through a large shpincter, and he found himself inside Malefor's stomach. He used his telekinesis to keep himself out of the pool of digestive acids. Bane created an orb of white fire in one of his palms. He would need this pseudo-light to find the girl.

Bane looked around. Malefor's stomach was almost the size of a house. The walls of the stomach lining shifted back and forth continuously. The pool of acid beneath the dragon could be heard bubbling and shifting with each passing second. The entire organ shook violenty with every step that the Behemoth took Once again, a thick, disgusting scent filled the "air" around the King.

Truly, this organ was a chamber of Death.

Over on the other side of the stomach, Bane spotted the small Blue dragoness, struggling to climb up the stomach lining, with little success. She appeared to be holding her breath, though she struggled not to scream in agony as acid dripped allover her body and slowly ate away at her scales.

_It is a miracle that she hasn't passed out yet._

The Water dragoness noticed the light from the orb in Bane's forepaw, and looked over at where he was levitating in confusion. When she saw him, she gasped in surprise, losing her grip on the lining in the process. She fell screaming into the acid, and Bane immediately dove in after her.

As soon as the Black dragon entered the pool to reach for the girl, his White light extinguished itself, and the acid around him started burning his scales. He struggled not to cry out from the intense pain. Once he managed to wrap his forelegs around the panicked dragoness's torso, he burst upwards and out of the pool, creating a large splash in his wake.

As the two dragons floated in the Darkness, Bane decided to speak to her telepathically, to preserve his breath.

_Don't panic, young one. I'm here to help you._

The dragoness spoke back through the mental link, though she was still very confused by Bane's presence.

_Who are you?_ She wondered.

_I'm Rune's father._

_How are we going to get out of here?_ The girl asked, frantic.

_I'm going to teleport us out of Malefor's body. Hold onto me._

Bane broke the mental link and started using Dark energy to teleport the two dragons to safety.

But then, a faint voice called out to the Black dragon. It sounded like that of a young boy.

_...Help…_

_Who's there? _Bane shouted telepathically.

…_Help me…Please! I can't free myself of His control!_

_Who are you? _The King demanded.

_I…I don't even know anymore…._

Not sure of what to do, Bane decided to resume the teleportation spell. He and the small blue dragoness were engulfed in an aura of Darkness. Bane felt the girl hug him tighter. She must have been afraid of the energy

...

A moment later, Bane and Nellie landed on the ground, a great distance away from Malefor. The White Behemoth had decided to continue on his rampage towards Warfang, which sat in the distance.

Bane set the girl down and examined her. A great amount of her scales were badly burned by the stomach acid, but it wasn't so severe that it couldn't be healed. The girl sat on the ground, shaking and breathing heavily. She looked up at Bane, a sorrowful look in her eyes.

"Th…Thank you for saving me." She said, stuttering.

"You are welcome, young one." He responded.

The girl laid down on the ground, starting to cry.

"Rune..." She mumbled sadly.

"Hmm?"

"He's... He's still alive, inside that monster." She stated. "I could hear him. He was crying."

Bane eyed the girl.

"You.. _heard_ him?" He queried. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know... But I swear, it was him." The dragoness looked up at the King. "Please... you've got to help him..."

Pity welled up inside the Black dragon as he looked upon the crying girl

Though Bane didn't know the full extent of their relationship, he could tell that the girl was heartbroken.

Suddenly, the Black dragon heard someone call out to him.

"Lord Bane!"

The Black dragon turned around to see who it was.

A large group of Dragons swooped down and came to a landing before him.

Bane immediately spotted Albanion, Wraith, Elza, Aegis and Lilith: the five Deep shadows he had sent out to find his son Cyrus and return him to The Nexus. The King noticed that Elza's robe was missing. Two small, young dragons were with them as well. Lilith placed a forepaw on one of the children's shoulder and pushed him forwards towards Bane. It was Cyrus.

The younger Black dragon was timid while speaking.

"Uh, hello, Dad..." He said, trying to avoid looking directly into the King's eyes.

"Cyrus." Bane responded, his voice becoming stern.

Bane was unsatisfied with the fact that Cyrus ran away from home. But, adult Black dragon knew that his son only wanted to revive Elenar, hoping she would convince Bane to come to his senses before he began his plans to eliminate the Light dragon race. At this point, however, that was no longer necessary.

"I am glad to see that you are unharmed." The King said warmly

Bane pulled his son closer to him and hugged him, much to Cyrus's surprise. The dragoness Lilith seemed to smile with satisfaction at the sight.

The Dark Yellow dragoness and the ohter young dragon, her daughter Tina, walked forwards to the Blue girll to investigate her condition.

"What happened to her?" Lilith asked.

"A horrible thing." Bane answered.

"Malefor swallowed her." Wraith added, grimacing. "Thank The Great Shadow you were able to save her, your Highness!"

Bane turned to face the girl again.

"What is your name?" He asked.

"Her name is Nellie", Tina answered for the Blue dragoness "She was one of the Light dragons who were going to help us revive Lady Elenar."

"I see..." The King stated. He turned to face south, towards Warfang and the behemoth.

"Those of you who still have Dark Energy to spare, transfer it to me." He commanded. "We must teleport to Warfang. Malefor has to be stopped before he destroys Warfang."

"Do you intend to kill him, Bane?" An aged voice asked.

Bane turned around, and he nearly jumped in surprise.

Three dragons flew down from the sky and came to a landing short distance away. The first two, a Black one and a Purple one, were elder males. The third, a Dark Red female who tried to hide behind the first two, was wearing a Dark Grey set of robes: Elza's attire. A most peculiar sight, to be sure, but the one that held Bane's attention was the Black dragon. He looked just like….

"Father?" Bane exclaimed. The Black elder was the spitting image of Urobos, although his attire, a Brown nomad's robe, was different.

"It's good to finally see you again, Bane." Urobos said, smiling. "Although technically we met again just a few days ago, when I was trying to stop you from taking Warfang."

"You're alive? How?" Bane asked.

"Is there something _wrong_ with me being alive, son?"

"N-No! That's not what I meant!"

Urobos chuckled.

"I don't agree with what Albanion has said." He stated. "You're still the same Bane you've always been. But to answer your questions, I am alive because this one resurrected me." Urobos motioned to the Purple elder.

"You've no doubt met Cynder by now. This is her mate, Spyro."

Bane looked up at the Purple one with both interest, and almost instant disdain. He knew of Lord Spyro from the old stories Urobos used to tell. He also felt a deep-seated dislike of the Purple dragon, for he still believed that he could have stepped in on many occasions to stop the Light dragons from commiting horrible acts of villainy against the Dark dragon race.

Of course, Bane had never expected to _meet_ Spyro.

Bane bowed his head, hiding his animosity.

"It is an honor to meet the husband of The Great Shadow." He said halfheartedly.

"We have no time for formalities." Spyro replied, seemingly ignoring Bane's attitude. "You were correct earlier: We must all get to Warfang immediately!"

"How will we put an end to Malefor's rampage?" Aegis asked.

"It won't be easy", Lilith added.

"We can discuss it when we are there." Urobos answered. "Everyone, band together. Bane, help me create a portal."

So, the group gathered close together. Tina helped Nellie walk forwards.

Once everyone was in range, Urobos and Bane used the Space element to summon a portal beneath the group. As they all were engulfed in the Darkness, Bane glanced at the mysterious female who was wearing the borrowed hood. She had remained silent the whole time.

_Who could this be? And why would Elza give her robe to her?_


	28. Act 3, Chapter 6

Act 3, Chapter 6

Rune's life had become absolute torment.

Ever since he left Glenhaven, something within him had stirred, and was slowly growing stronger and stronger as the days passed by. It was a small part of him, a part of him that existed for years. A part of him that wished to no longer be afraid of retribution for his actions. A part of him that wanted to strike at the people who would inflict pain on him. He feared this part of himself, and had did his best to act as though it never existed. Rune spent his days allowing himself to believe he was a coward. He belittled himself, badmouthed himself, and did his best to avoid using Magic, the great power that lied dormant in his flesh. The power that the other part of himself longed to use.

But when Rune was surrounded by the angry spirits, that part of him awakened. He remembered when that burst of anger exploded out of him, destroying everything that stepped too close The Giant, demonic form of his mother was astounded. The Young dragon, on the other hand, was estatic. Never before had he been able to fight back against those who tried to have power over him. It was a sensation he never had before.

And he Liked it.

Shortly after his outburst came, a massive explosion of Convexity energy filled his mind. The energy consumed everything around him, and overflowed throughout his mind...

The next thing the young dragon realized, he was awake, lying on the cold floor of the Platform near the Pit of the Fallen. However, he was not entirely the same: The other half of his mind, the one addicted to power, had taken control of his body. He took delight in hurting his friends and loved ones, fully believing that they had wanted to punish him for his past sins. He had finally gained the power needed to protect himself from the harm he believed they wished to deal him...

And then, when he saw his grandfather, he didn't know what to do.

Rune had never feared Urobos, nor could he imagine the old dragon would ever seek to harm him. The young Black dragon always missed the aged one, but he always remembered how much Urobos cared for him...

But then Rune recalled how the old dragon said he had been alive for the past five years. He wondered why Urobos didn't come to claim him as his grandson when he ended up in Glenhaven. He felt hurt. Rejected. Rune's thoughts quickly turned back to wrath, and he showed the aged dragon the same spite he gave the others.

Later on, when Rune lost his magical power, his wrathful side began to panic. The young dragon found himself weak and helpless, just like he always feared being. He was also shocked that Nellie had a hand in rendering him in this state.

Nellie was another person he never feared. Even if the young dragon had his qualms about the way the Water dragoness tried to learn more about him time and time again, he always thought she was an innocent, kind young girl. She never seemed capable of hurting anyone. The very fact that she helped subdue Rune was almost too much for him to bear.

But before long, the Night of Eternal Darkness began, and the young dragon became filled with Magical power. He escaped from his imprisonment, and began stealing the Darkness that belonged to Wraith and Albanion...

And then, Malefor betrayed him, stole his body, and transformed it into the gigantic, White-hided abomination.

As the Evil dragon went on his rampage, Rune was forced to stay trapped in the back of Malefor's mind. Because the Dark Master still needed the young dragon's soul to stay bonded to his body, Malefor kept him attached to it, so they could both live. However, because of this, Rune was forced to see, hear, and **Feel** everything that Malefor did. Rune could feel Albanion's bones crack in Malefor's grip as the latter crushed him. Rune could feel Wraith's hind section flatten underneath the Evil dragon's paw. Rune could feel Nellie slide down his own throat, kicking and screaming into his stomach. Rune was even forced to feel Nellie splashing around in his stomach as she desperately tried to save herself.

Rune was at a crossroads. Part of himself enjoyed watching all the despair that Malefor caused for the other dragons. And yet, he couldn't stand what was being done to them either. One side of him wanted Power and Destruction, while the rest was reluctant.

The young dragon found himself trapped in what seemed like an endless void of darkness. His hide was White, just as it was after his wrathful side awakened, yet his underbelly was the same as it had always been, and his Glyphs were blue in color. Malefor stood a few feet across from Rune, glaring down at him with his Demonic eyes.

"You are a fool, little dragon." The Dark Master sneered. "I granted you an opportunity to become a far more powerful being than you were."

"You tricked me..." Rune said solemnly. "And then you betrayed me."

"Betrayed you?" Malefor repeated. "You are still alive, are you not? You have become a part of me: You now have more power at your disposal than any could ever dream of."

"I didn't _want_ power." The young dragon snapped. "I wanted to be forgiven for what I did to The Hive."

"Whether you desire it or now, you have had power locked within you for all your life." The Purple dragon stated. "Even the bit of Convexity I placed within you paled in comparision to the amount of power you already contained."

"I know..." Rune said quietly. "..But I never wished to use it."

"I can see the powerwithin you reaching its zenith." Malefor declared. "Through my interference, you are finally making the progress you were destined to achieve. And yet, every time you come close to letting your power reach its true might, you retreat back into yourself, and continue hold yourself back."

Rune balled his paws into fists. He became angered. And a feint, Purple-and-Black aura surrounded his hide.

"No matter how strong I grow," The young dragon sneered, "It can be taken all away with just a quick blow to the back of my head. I'm too vulnerable."

"Only because you allowed yourself to feel weak for so long." Malefor replied. "Take your fear and doubt, and turn it into rage. Unleash the great power of Darkness that lies dormant inside you."

"I want to..." Rune replied. "But..."

The young dragon's Purple-and-Black aura faded away, and he frowned down at the floor.

"...They'll always be someone stronger than me. Someone who can punish me for what I've done..."

The Purple dragon growled.

"You impudent wretch!" He roared, startling Rune. "If you will not unleash your power on your own, then I shall remove it from you MYSELF!"

Without warning, Malefor drove the talons on his right forepaw into Rune's chest, causing him to gasp in pain.

A massive Purple-and-Black cloud of energy flowed out of the young dragon's hide and surrounded him, causing him to shout in agony. The Purpleness and Blackness began separating, and started circling around Rune at high speeds, hiding him from view. His mind started breaking in half.

"STOP IT!" Rune pleaded. "YOU'RE TEARING ME APART!"

"That is my intention." Malefor said coldly. "You must be separated from your Fears and Anxiety. Otherwise, your Darkness will remain tainted and weak."

The young dragon felt unimaginable pain and agony as every thought and feeling had, Rage and Sorrow, Pride and Doubt, Pleasure and Pain, were torn apart from each other.

His once single mind was now Two.

After a few moments, the Purple energy and Black energy stated separating from each other in turn, the latter floating around in Malefor's grip. The Evil dragon grinned with satisfaction as the Darkness pool around his forepaw

"Yes..." He declared. "Now, you shall reach your true potential..."

As the cloud of Darkness started becoming physical, Malefor lifted his forepaw upwards before himself, and waited for it to become complete.

When the cloud finally cleared, the Purple dragon flinched in surprise.

"What?" He demanded.

The being Malefor held in his grip was a small, Black Dragon. It was Rune, as he had always been growing up. He had the same Dark Grey underbelly and talons, the same Blue Glyphs, the same two horns, and the same Golden eyes.

It was as if Rune hadn't changed at all.

"How can this be?" The Purple dragon snarled. "THIS is the Darkness that was held within you?"

The young dragon only looked up at Malefor in fear. He breathed heavilly

"I..." He mumbled.

The Purple dragon snarled.

"This is impossible!" He roared. "How can you be so weak after I freed your Darkness?"

Suddenly, a low chuckle filled the air.

"What?" Malefor shouted again. He looked around for the source of the laugh. "Who goes there?"

A voice spoke to the Evil dragon from inside the Purple cloud, which still stood before Malefor. The voice was nearly identical to Rune's

"Don't waste your time with that byproduct."

"Show yourself!" Malefor demanded.

After a moment, the Purple cloud started fading away. A pair of Yellow, Demonic eyes glared up at the Evil dragon, who nearly gasped in alarm. A young dragon started appearing before Malefor.

The dragon's build and mane were nearly identical to Rune's. He had a Snow White hide, and his underbelly and talons were a Blood Red shade. He had the same Glyphs that Rune had, but his were Blood Red as well. He had nine Dark Grey horns upon his head: Three of them were the same shape as Malefor's, and were in the same spots. Two more horns inbetween those three were identical to Rune's horns, and also appeared in the same places. The last four horns grew out of the back of his lower jaw.

A thick Purple aura surrounded the White dragon's body. Malefor stood in awe of the new creature, while the Black dragon looked down at it in horror.

"No..." Rune stuttered. "This... can't be..."

The White dragon gleamed.

"I have finally been freed of all the vices that've held me back for so long." He declared, bowing his head to the Purple dragon. "Thank you, Master."

Malefor smirked with satisfaction.

"You never cease to surprise me, Rune." He stated.

"Don't call me that." The White dragon sneered. "I refuse to be given the same name as that coward."

"Very well."

The Purple dragon tossed Rune off to the side. The Black dragon crashed onto the "floor" of the abyss a good distance away, wincing and moaning in pain upon the colision.

Malefor looked down at his new minion.

"Powerful beast, without fear or shame, the monicker Runefor shall be thy name."

"As you wish, Master." The White dragon replied.

Malefor glanced over at where the Black boy had landed.

Rune was locked in grief, still struggling to cope with the fact that he had been torn in half. He was crying profusely.

"This can't be..." He mumbled again.

"Pathetic." Malefor sneered.

The Dark Master turned back towards the newly created Runefor.

"Come." He commanded. "We still have much work to do."

"Yes, Master." The White dragon replied.

The Purple dragon turned and walked off in the opposite direction, Runefor following close behind. The White dragon took a moment to glance back at the crying Rune.

"What should we do about _that_, Master?" He asked.

"Leave him." Malefor stated coldly. "He is nothing."

And with that, the two dragons walked off, vanishing into the abyss.

Rune was left all alone. He just sat on the floor of the abyss, defeated.

_I'm sorry, Everyone,_ he thought to himself sadly._ I've doomed you all, and the rest of the world. But most of all, I've doomes YOU, Nellie._

For a while, Rune sat there, wallowing in sorrow. He was forced to watch as Malefor continued his journey towards Warfang.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened.

Malefor was attacked by an adult Black dragon that Rune didn't recognize at first. But then, when he got a good look at the dragon, he realized who it was.

_Father!_

Rune didn't know how his father, King Bane, managed to appear in front of the Behemoth. He could only listen and watch as Bane engaged the Dark Master in combat. Rune could feel every blow that Bane dealt to Malefor. Rune froze in pain as he felt Bane's sword impale him between the eyes. Every slash that followed caused Rune to flinch repeatedly. Even though he did not bleed, Rune cried out as if the injuries were happening to **him**.

At one point, Bane did something Rune did not expect: He flew into Malefor's mouth and down his throat.

_Is he mad?_

The Dark Master was confused at Bane's sudden supposed suicide. The behemoth had his eyes closed when he fired his Convexity breath. Once Bane had fallen into Malefor's mouth, Rune took advantage of the White beast's distraction and watched what Bane was doing. Bane had dove for Nellie, and lifted her out of the stomach acid.

_He must be trying to rescue Nellie. Maybe I can reach out to him and ask for help before he teleports out._

So, Rune reached out with his Mind as hard as he could to reach his. Luckily, the magical binds that forced the young dragon to feel every action that Malefor took also allowed him to reach their shared stomach with little effort. He shouted to Bane as loud as he could through his mental link.

_Help!_

Bane's response sounded a great distance away, barely audible.

…_Who's there?…_

_Help me! PLEASE!_ the young dragon begged_ I can't I can't free myself of His control!_

_..Who are you?…_

The question cut through Rune like a knife through butter.

Who exactly **was** Rune at this point? Was he even still Rune? Or was he just a byproduct, cut away from the actual being name Rune?

_I… _Rune answered, hopelessness in his voice.

_I don't even know anymore._

A moment later, Bane's presence vanished, Nellie going with him.

_Wait! Come back!_

But it was too late. The Black dragon King was gone, and Rune was all alone once again.

_At least Father managed to fee Nellie. _He said in a sorry attempt to cheer himself up. _If only he could free me as well..._

...

Bane and the other eleven dragons appeared before Warfang Temple.

As soon as the King looked around, he knew what was happening. Malefor had gotten close enough to be spotted by the citizens of Warfang. In response, Grai, Rose and Nerona must have scrambled the army of Dark dragons to prepare for defensive measures. The other citizens were now presumably hiding in Warfang's many buildings, for on beings could be seen wandering the streets.

Bane turned to face the others.

"Alright, I have a plan. First, Albanion and Wraith, you two take the children to safety."

"Why don't you have us stay and fight?" Albanion queried.

"You two are no-doubt still weakened from your near-death injuries." The King answered. "I need warriors who are ready to fight, to the death if necessary."

"If you say so, your highness." Wraith said.

"But father" Cyrus protested. "I want to help you!"

"It's too dangerous for you, Cyrus." Bane said. "Just go."

"But I'm perfectly capable of fighting!" The Prince declared. "I haven't spent all this time training my Magic just to sit around!"

"Listen to you father's commands, Cyrus." Urobos said sternly. "You aren't trained to combat Gigantic beasts."

"But I was able to kill a Crep-gigas!" The young dragon exclaimed. "Doesn't that count for something?"

"**That** was just a one-time incident." Wraith scolded. "And you passed out shortly afterwards. I really doubt you could hold your own against the Dark Master himself, especially in HIS current state."

"But..." Cyrus stammered. "... I want to help save Rune..."

"We shall do our best to rescue him." Bane replied. "You can be sure of that, Cyrus. I don't want you getting injured, or worse, in the process."

The young Black dragon clearly wanted to keep arguing. However, he briefly turned his gaze towards the diguised Crimson dragoness at the back of the group, who nodded her head.

Cyrus sighed.

"Alright" He said solemnly.

And with that, Wraith and Albanion took the three young dragons and flew off to another part of the city. As they left, Bane continued giving orders to the others.

"Lilith and Aegis, I need you two to fly up to The Nexus and take command of any soldiers who've flown there already. Keep them organized."

"Yes, my lord." The two said in unison. They then flew directly upwards towards the floating fortress.

The King then looked at the rest of the group: Urobos, Spyro, Elza, and the silent female.

"Elza, I need you to come with me. We must find Grail, Rose and Nerona."

"What for, my lord?" The Wind dragoness asked.

"I need you four to transfer your power to me."

"What do you intend to do with it?" Urobos queried.

"I don't know how well the forces of Warfang will be able to fight back. The Eclipse is enhancing their power, but not nearly as much as it does for those of the Deep Shadows or Black dragons like us. I need to transfer the Deep Shadows' Dark energy to myself, so that I can combat Malefor equally."

"Why do you believe you must face him yourself?" Spyro asked. Bane sighed.

"My actions are what led to Rune being possessed by that monster. It is my responsibility to deal with him, and mine alone."

The shrouded female started to say something, but stopped herself.

"Hmm?" Bane reacted. "Who _is_ this?"

"Don't concern yourself with her." Spyro stated. "In the meantime, I must point something out: The Deep shadows' power won't be enough to combat Malefor."

"What shall I do, then?"

"Go find your three allies, then return here with them. I will explain more when you return."

"As you wish, Lord Spyro."

Bane nodded to Elza, and the two dragons flew off away. The Purple dragon chuckled.

"'Lord Spyro'." He repeated. "Now matter how old I become, I will never get used to that title."

Urobos turned to face the shrouded dragoness.

"Are you sure you want to keep your identity a secret from him, Elenar?" He asked, concerned. "He's going to figure it out sooner or later, you know."

The Dark Red dragoness pulled her hood back, her Black hair and four horns reappearing.

"I can't let him know." She said solemnly. "Not yet. He has to focus on our Malefor right now."

She started to cry.

"He has to kill Rune in order to stop Malefor, doesn't he?"

Urobos placed a paw on his daughter-in-law's shoulder.

"I..." The Black dragon sighed. "I wish there was another way. I really do. I'm sorry, Elenar."

...

High above in The Nexus, countless Dark dragon hatchlings and cubs fast asleep in the various large chambers in the lover sections of the fortress.

Each one was sleeping on a fine silk mattress, and every young dragon was kept warm by a magical fire within the cushions that warmed them to the exact temperature needed to keep them in a comfortable slumbe.

Two pathways were left clear from end to end in the arena, which crossed at the center, allowing adult dragons to watch after them. Each of the four path ends had a statue of The Great Shadow placed behind it in a pocket in the wall, so that she may look after the sleeping children.

All of the adult had left the arena to protect The Nexus from the outside, except for two.

The Twin Elders, Argos and Icarox, had stayed behind to look after the children, their aged bodies too weak for battle.

The doors to the arena were magically sealed on the inside, to prevent enemies from getting in.

"What danger do you think is approaching Warfang?" Argos queried.

"I cannot say." Icarox responded. "But this must be a dire situation indeed if every last able-bodied dragon is needed for the city's defense."

"Aye."

The two Dark Red elders looked down at the children sleeping around them.

"It's amazing." The female stated. "To think, the young Lord Bane being able to transform so many children into Dark dragons."

Argos sighed.

"To be honest, my sister," He began with a sullen expression, "I find it rather fortunate that Lord Alexander is not around to bear witness to this."

"I understand what you mean, brother.." Icarox replied. "He would spit in his son-in-law's face if he saw what he has done here."

The two Elders had worried expressions upon their faces.

"We had best pray for the well-being of the children." Argos stated.

"Very well."

The two Elders kneeled down in the center of the chamber, clasped their individual forepaws together, and began reciting an old chant for the safety of the sleeping young dragons.

"Oh Greatest of Shades, may you cast your blessings upon those who cannot defend themselves on their own. Grant power to the powerless, and hope to the hopeless. May we be resistant to toxins, and fleet of foot. May we see in the night, and may nothing frighten us..."

As the Twins prayed to their patron, a large cloud of Shadows started to appear before them.

"What in the world...?" Argos queried.

When the two Elders got back up to their feet, a large Black dragoness appeared before them, emerging from the shadows. The two Dark Red dragons gasped in surprise.

The dragoness Cynder stood before them.

"It cannot be!" Icarox shouted.

"_It is._" The Black dragoness responded.

The Twin Elders immediately dropped low to the ground, their head bowed in servitude. Cynder looked down at them, her expression weakening.

"_Leave this fortress and head for the Temple stoop far below._" She commanded.

"What for, your greatness?" Argos asked.

"_Your King has returned to Warfang, and will be requiring the power at your disposal._" The Black dragoness answered. "_You will find my mate Spyro and the Black dragon Urobos waiting there as well._"

"Lords Spyro and Urobos?" Icarox repeated. "They live?"

"_You are to speak to no one of Spyro's existance here, but you may freely talk of Urobos._"

"As you wish, Great One." The male Elder stated.

"But what of the children?" The female queried.

"_Do not worry: I shall look after the young ones in your stead._" Cynder stated. "_No harm will befall them. No Go: Your King needs your aid._"

The Twin Elders bowed in servitude to The Great Shadow, and then vanished in clouds of Darkness.

Cynder turned and looked upon all of the sleeping hathlings and cubs around her. She sighed.

"_You poor little ones have no idea what danger you're in._" She said. "_But do not worry. I will protect you._"

...

A moment later, all of the dragons surrounding The Nexus felt a great force of magic explode into existence. An enormous sphere of black energy faded into existence around the fortress. The dragons tried to break through, but were forced backwards.

"What is this?" Aegis demanded.

"No mortal dragon could create this!" Lilith exclaimed. "Do you think it's the work of…"

...

Grail stood watch from his post upon the centermost portion of the Northern section of the wall around Warfang, alongside a multitude of Soldiers. He watched as the White Behemoth approached the city with every passing moment.

The Fauna dagon held his left foreleg out to his left. The Deep shadow focused his one red eye on the approaching Beast, and waited for the opportune moment to give the signal to strike.

"Get ready….!" He bellowed.

The many warriors around him started charging up their enhanced dark energy, ready to defend their new home. Grail did the same.

As soon as the White beast got as close as Grail could tolerate, he shot his foreleg forwards in the air.

"ATTACK!"

Instantly, dozens of dragons flew into the air and charged at the Behemoth.

The Wind dragons summoned massive Cyclones and heightened their speed to incredible heights. The Sound dragons unleashed great numbers of Sonic wails and ear-piercing shrieks. The Flora dragons summoned a great number of vines from the earth below, which then shot out a massive storm of giant thorns into the air above the beast. The Fauna dragons, Grail included, summoned massive swarms of Eagles, Hawks, and other birds of prey from the sky, and sent them to claw at the monster. Space dragons teleported far ahead, ready to use their great numbers to strike the beasts head-on. The Pain dragons all stood at the back of the army, using all of their powers in conjunction to make the every Dark dragon among the forces completely immune to pain, for a short time.

As the six different attacks went into effect, the White behemoth suddenly flew upwards into the sky at an impossible speed, swerving past the storm of thorns and forcing the birds of prey to fall backwards from recoil. The beast then spun around and flew downwards, shooting a gigantic burst of Purple-and-Black Energy at the ground below. The Space dragons nearby scrambled to avoid getting hit, while most of the other Dark dragon started redirecting their attacks to adjust to the monster's change in tactics.

As the massie beam of energy colided with the ground, an enormous pool of Darkness spread out from it, overtaking a large part of the land in mere moments.

Grail was confused.

"What is it doing?"

It wasn't long before he discovered the beast's purpose.

Out of the darkness came hundreds upon hundreds of Black-hided monstrosities.

The Deep Shadow gasped.

"CREPSCULI!" He bellowed.

About two-thirds of the Dark dragons diverted their attention to the new threat, the mele-based dragon charging forwards towards the Crepsculi, and the range-based dragons unleashing their projectile attacks..

The once empty Veros Outskirts had now become a raging battlefield, with Dark dragons and Crepsculi attacking each other all around the area in front of the City's north wall. While the soldiers were distracted, The White Beast started blasting them with giant beams of a strange Purple energy. Grail sneered.

"This is terrible!" He shouted.

The Silver dragon looked around himself. Many other soldiers were already taking flight to aid the first wave. Nerona and Rose must have given them the orders to attack.

"Where is that damn King of ours when we need his power?"

Grail sighed in contempt.

"I'll have to enter the battle in his stead."

The Deep Shadow lifted himself into the air and prepared to fly forwards. However, before he could get considerably far ahead, someone shouted to him from behind.

"Grail, halt!"

Confused, the Fauna dragon turned around to see who had interrupted him.

Two dragons flew into view. It was King Bane and Elza.

Grail nearly got a heart attack from the surprise.

"Where in The Great Shadow's name have you been, Bane?" Grail demanded. "We've run into quite the snag in the plans while **you** were lolligagging who-knows-where!"

The Black dragon sighed.

"There's no time to explain." Elza stated. "Go to the front steps of the Dragon Temple and look for two aged dragons, a Black one and a Purple one."

"What?"

"There's no time to explain!" Bane snapped. "You are to tell no one of the Purple dragon's existance. That's an order!"

Grail sighed in contempt."

"As you command, your highness." He stated.

"Before you leave, We must ask." The Wind dragoness stated. "Where are Rose and Nerona?

Grail pointed towards the East and West sides of the Northern wall of the city, respectively.

"They are currently both commanding smaller platoons of the soldiers." The Fauna dragon stated. "The soldiers that were waiting patiently for **you** to lead them to begin the invasion, before this problem arose."

He glared at the King, who groaned.

"As I've said before, I have no time to explain my sudden disppearance." He commanded. "Just head for the Temple immediately!"

With that said, Bane flew off towards the East side of the Wall, while Elza flew towards he West. The Fauna dragon, in the meantime, flew towards teh dragon Temple, unsure just what was going on.

As the dragons flew, the Second battle for Warfang raged on.


	29. Act 3, Chapter 7

Act 3, Chapter 7

"How long do you think we have to wait here?" Blank asked.

"We've told you before: We don't know, Blankridge." Jules scolded. "Now stop asking!"

The Four Guardians were told to wait inside the Mountain, staying a good distance away from the entrance so they could avoid being affected by the moonlight. Hontus and Seraph wanted to leave so that they could go find Rune and try to return him to his senses again. However, they didn't want to lose control over their Light magic, so they begrudgingly complied.

Blank and Emerald were left behind as well, since there was little they could have done.

"I hope Nellie's okay." Emerald stated, a little sad. "She's a strong girl, but seeing Rune that way must be tearing her apart. I'm so worried about her..."

"We all are, Emmy." Blank responded. "Though who I'm REALLY worried about is Rune. Do you think he'll be stuck like that for the rest of his life?"

"We don't know." Hontus answered.

"All we can do now is let the Dark dragons handle this." Seraph said, sighing. "A little over half a week ago, I never would have imagined I'd be saying that, or that our little Purple boy was really one of them. But I guess fate has a funny way of turning our lives upside-down. Poor Rune…"

Hontus wrapped his tail around his wife.

"Don't worry, love. I'm sure our other son will be okay. Don't give up on him so soon."

The Water dragoness decided to lay down against the Fire dragon, letting him support her.

"I know that, Hontus. But still, I can't help it..."

Blank walked past his parents and stepped towards the opening of the cave. He looked upwards at the Night sky from a safe distance, staring in bewilderment at the Blood Red moons and the Pitch-black sky.

He was starting to get tired: He hadn't slept in hours.

"Get some rest, Blankridge." Seraph said.

"But I want to wait for the others to come back with Rune!" He protested. He tried to hide a yawn, but failed.

"Come on, Blank." Hontus added. "Listen to your mother."

"Alright." Blank said.

"You should get some rest as well, Emerald." Jules said to the small Green dragoness.

"Yes, Daddy." She replied.

Blank laid down next to Seraph, while Emerald laid down besides Jules.

"Will you wake me up when they get back, Mom?" Blank asked the Water dragoness.

"Sure, sweetie." She replied, smiling. She draped one of her wings over her son.

"Uh, Am I still going to be grounded for running after Rune when we get back home?"

"You better believe it." Hontus said. "And your sister, too."

"Figures." Blank grimaced, falling asleep.

"That includes you too, Little missy." Jules said to Emerald. "Your mother's probably worried sick trying to find you back in Glenhaven."

"I know, Daddy, I know." The dragoness stated.

As the two young dragons started falling asleep, Voden stood farther into the Mountain passageway.

The Orange dragon couldn't help but think about Rune, and the appearance he had taken on after part of Malefor's power corrupted him.

He remembered what he had seen on the cover of that strange book that stood on the far right of the set of three the previous evening. Voden recalled seeing two dragons, a Black one and a White one that were nearly identical in every way, circling around each other, and trying to swallow each other as well.

"That man Ignitus claimed that there were four dragons that were deeply tied into the fate of the entire world." He said to himself. "Two were dead, while the fourth had yet to be born. I wonder..."

Voden sat down on the ground and started thinking out loud.

"Could Rune be the third dragon? And if so, who is the fourth..?"

"What are you going in about, Voden?" Jules asked. The Orange dragon turned and tried to hide the worry from his face.

"Do not worry about it." He answered. "I was just pondering something to myself."

"If you say so..."

Voden turned back around and resumed thinking.

_I really wish I had decided to read that book._

...

Elenar ran inside the temple, tears gushing out of her eyes.

The Pain dragoness knew what was going to happen in a matter of moments. She just couldn't bear to watch her family fight each other, even if it was one was possessed by a monster. But still, it was a terrible thing for her to bear, even if she knew there was no other way to stop Malefor's mad rampage.

The dragoness wandered theeEmpty halls of the Temple, her every step echoing loudly. She wanted to find a room where she could sit and wait for the battle to end without being dropped in on. Eventually, she decided on the Elders' chamber, which had been unused for days.

Elenar pushed open the large doors and stepped inside.

The room was left almost completely untouched. The bodies of the slain Darkstalkers had been cleaned up long ago, along with any blood that was spilled. The whole in the roof had been fixed. Otherwise, the room was the same.

Elenar sat down before the pool of visions, and removed the Shroud of Darkness she had been wearing, turning her hide to its original Dark Grey color. The dragoness listened to the raging battle going on all around the city beyond her few.

She sighed.

"Bane will begin soon." She said sadly. "At the very least, I hope he does the deed quickly."

Elenar sat there and waited, crying silently. Would she never be reunited with Rune? Was she doomed to be separated from all of her children? Would Cyrus be next? She prayed for that to never be the case.

After a few moments, someone spoke to Elenar.

"_Why have you given up hope, Elenar?_"

The grey dragoness gasped, looking up.

"Who's there?" She asked. She didn't see anyone.

Suddenly, a cloud of shadows appeared on the other side of the Green pool. Elenar backed away from it.

"_There's no need to fear me, Elenar._"

A Black dragoness appeared out of the shadows, which vanished in her wake. The smaller dragoness knew immediately who it was.

"The Great Shadow, Cynder." She stated, alarmed.

"_Just call me Cynder, Elenar._"

The Black dragoness sat down on the other side of the Green Pool, and looked directly at the other one.

"What brings you to me, Cynder?"

"_You miss your son._"

"I never should have made that deal with Malefor", Elenar said. "No, I never should have used that Fury all that time ago. Because of that mistake, I set forth the chain of events that would lead to Rune becoming the Dark Master's puppet."

"_None of that is true, and you know it fully well._"

"My son has fallen down the path of Evil. **I** made him what he is, not Bane."

The Black dragoness groaned slightly.

"_I don't understand your family._" She declared.

"What do you mean, Cynder?" Elenar asked, confused.

"_It seems that each and every one of you puts the blame on themselves for things beyond their control._" Cynder answered._ "Rune blames himself for your death and the deaths of hundreds of Dark dragons, You blame yourself for Rune becoming Malefor's secret slave, and Bane blames himself for both yours AND Rune's fates, as well as releasing Malefor from his comatose state in the first place. Even Urobos blames himself for not being able to do more when he could, although he is trying to move on. The only members of your family who don't blame themselves for something are Cyrus and-_"

"Why are you _really_ here?" Elenar demanded.

"_You cry as though once Rune dies, he is lost forever. You should know from experience that death is not the end of a dragon's existance._"

"It still hurts. I can't bear the thought of my son being in any more pain than he has already suffered."

"_If Rune is slain, he can be revived._" Cynder replied. "_Bane can return to the Pit of the Fallen, use the Revival Ritual, and Rune will be whole once more._"

"But why must he die at all?" Elenar demanded. "Why can't he be allowed to live?"

"_As long as Rune's body is possessed by Malefor, there can be no respite for him in the living world. He will be bound by flesh and blood to the spirit of a Monster til the end of his days._"

The Pain dragoness cried once again.

"My poor little boy..." She said miserably. "I've had towatch helplessly as he suffers for so long..."

"_Well, you aren't helpless now._" The Black dragoness reasusred."_You can help your son. And I am willing to help as well._"

Elenar looked up at Cynder.

"How can I help him?"

The Great Shadow spent the next half hour explaining what can be done about Rune.

...

"What do you think Dad has in mind?" Cyrus asked.

The two Deep Shadows brought Cyrus, Tina and Nellie to a small building on the South side of Warfang: The same one that was used as a safehouse by Cyrus's group just the night before.

Bane was right: Albanion and Wraith's injuries might have been healed, but they could still feel slight pain from what had happened to them. Perhaps they should have asked Elenar to remove the pain before they left. Well, it was too late now.

At the moment, The Flora dragon was standing by a window, while the Crimson dragon was on a couch on the other side of the room. Nellie had fallen asleep on another couch off to the side of the room. It's just as well: The poor girl had been though a horrible experience, and needed all the rest she could get. They would need to find a healer to tend to her horribly burnt hide soon, before her wounds got infected. Cyrus had used his Pain element to help ease the pain so Nellie could sleep, but that wasn't enough.

Wraith shrugged from his spot on the couch when the Prince asked his question.

"Beats me", The Crimson dragon stated.

"Perhaps he's going to create a massive Convexity breath attack." Albanion suggested.

"Convexity?" Tina asked. "What's that?"

The Dark Red dragon turned to face Wraith.

"Would you care to explain?" He queried. "This _is_ your field of expertise."

Wraith rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He turned to face Tina. Cyrus turned to listen, his interest piqued.

"You both know that there are twelve elements: Six Light, and six Dark. Am I right?"

"Yeah." The Dark Yellow dragoness answered.

"Well, Convexity is a powerful Purple-colored energy that is created when all twelve elements are combined together in equal amounts. It's extremely powerful, and just as rare."

"Are black dragons able to use Convexity?" Cyrus asked.

"Well, one would expect that to be the case, but it's not normal. Even though Black dragons, like you, are able to wield all twelve elements, they can only wield around three or four at once with no strain. The more elements added on top of that, the harder it becomes to use any of them. To use Convexity, a dragon has to be able to wield all **twelve** at once, and in equal amounts, which isn't an easy feat."

"Has it ever been done?" Tina asked.

"Well, it has occurred, but only rarely. Because of the difficulty involved in wielding Convexity, some Black dragons found it easier to wield one of two subsidiaries to the Energy: Convergence and Concurrence?"

"Convergence and Concurrence?"

"Yeah. Convergence is the combination of all six Light elements, while Concurrence is composed of the six Dark Elements. They aren't as powerful as Convexity, but they're still powerful energies in their own right. Both are recognizable by their colors: Convergence is pure white, while Concurrence is pitch black. It's possible for a Black dragon to wield either one of these two subsidiaries using five of one type of Element, and one of the other, but the subsidiary won't be a potent in that iteration."

"Is it possible for two Black dragons to combine the two subsidiaries to create Convexity?" The Prince queried.

"In theory, yes, but I've never seen it. Why?"

"Well, I think that's what happened when Rune and I were fighting those Crepsculi together ealier today."

Wraith cocked an eye at the Black dragon.

"When did _that_ happen?"

Cyrus explained how he and Rune had been surrounded by Crepsculi during the fight after the young dragons were playing Snow Ball Wars and the larger Black dragon sudden crashed in on the area. He recounted how the two Black dragons glowed a different color, which fired out of them and combined together, turning Purple.

"That would have been good to know earlier." The Dark Red dragon said, annoyed.

"We have fallen off track." Albanion declared. The Dark Grey dragon was looking out the window.

"The point is, Bane is most likely planning to attack with Convexity. If what Wraith and I have witnessed is any indication, no single element will be enough to kill Rune magically."

Cyrus sighed.

"You mean Malefor, right?" He asked. "I mean, you don't want Rune to die along with him, do you?"

Albanion remained stonefaced.

"It pains me to say it," He replied, "but as long as Malefor is in possession of Rune's body, the boy must be killed."

"What?" Cyrus shouted.

"The Purple-hided demon must not be allowed to live. He will stop at nothing to bring death and ruin to the entire world, not just the Light dragon race as Bane had planned. Any means that are necessary must be taken to put an end to his evil, even the unpleasant ones."

"But can't Rune be freed of Malefor's control?" The Prince demanded. "Why must murdering him be the first option to be tried?"

"We don't even know if Rune still exists anymore."

"I don't want Rune to be killed!" Cyrus protested. "Possessed or not, he's still my brother!"

"Not so loud, you'll wake Nellie up." Wraith scolded. "And face it, your highness: There may be no other option available to any of us. Rune has to be killed, so that the rest of us may live. It's acce-"

"Don't you DARE say 'Acceptable losses'!" Cyrus screamed.

An awkward silence filled the room. Nellie mumbled a little, but continued sleeping.

"Your highness…."

"Cyrus, just let it go." Tina said solemnly.

She didn't call him Runt. She must've been _dead_ serious.

Cyrus just looked away, refusing to speak anymore. Wraith sighed, shaking his head.

"We don't want to accept it either." Albanion said to the Black dragon, his demanor weakening. "But we have to. Thanks to Malefor's trickery, Rune is doomed."

...

After finding Rose, Bane returned with her to the temple steps. He arrived at the same time as Elza and Nerona.

Urobos, Spyro and Grail were waiting for them. The Female from before seemed to venture off somewhere else. For some reason, the Twin Elders had arrived at the Temple stoop as well.

When Bane came to a landing, He saw that Grail, Argos and Icarox was surprised to find Urobos standing before them. Rose and Nerona were shocked as well.

"How is this possible?" Grail exclaimed.

"We don't have time to discuss this!" Urobos exclaimed. "Yes, it's good to see you all again, but we must stick to the task at hand!"

"I agree", Spyro said.

"What task would that be?" Nerona queried.

"You shall see soon enough.

Bane looked at the Four Deep Shadows in turn.

"Grail. Rose. Nerona. Elza. I need you four to lend my your Dark energy." He glanced briefly at the two Elders. "I could use _your_ aid as well, my Elders. If you'll be kind enough to comply."

"Why do you require our collective power, your highness?" Icarox asked.

"I'm the only one who can stop the Dark Master, and I need your power to do it."

"The Dark Master?" Argos repeated.

"That White monstrosity..." The King stated. "Malefor has found a way to reincarnate as that beast. So, will you lend me your power, my brethren?"

The four Deep Shadows looked amongst themselves, while the Twin Elders did the same.

"I hope you know what you're doing, your highness." Nerona said.

"I do as well." Grail added.

The four Deep Shadows stood around Bane in an X-shaped formation, each one a short distance away. The King looked at the two Elders.

"Will you lend me your aid as well, my Elders?" He asked.

"This seems most peculiar..." Argos stated.

"...But we shall do as you ask, your Highness." Icarox finished.

The two Dark Red dragons stood to the North and South of Bane, standing the same distance away from him as the Deep Shadows.

Bane looked at Spyro.

"Why did you ask me to do this in front of you?" He asked the Purple one.

"You will need the power of Convexity in this fight."

"I already have Convexity."

"Yes, but only a small amount." Spyro replied. "I will grant you temporary control over **my **Convexity."

"Thank you, Lord Spyro." Bane said.

"_You shall be needing __**my**__ Convexity as well._" An ethereal voice stated. "_Mine is not as potent as Spyro's, but I still have a considerable amount._"

The Black dagoness Cynder appeared a short distance away in a cloud of shadows and walked towards the others. The Deep Shadows gasped in surprise.

"By the Ancestors!" Nerona exclaimed.

"_Hush, Pain dragoness._" Cynder demanded. "_I need to keep this appearance a secret, as do the rest of you. Do you all understand me?_"

The Deep Shadows bowed their heads in submission, as did the Twin Elders.

"_Splendid._"

The Black dragoness walked up and stood to the West of the King, while Spyro stood to his East. In the Meantime, Urobos walked around the other dragons and stood beside the Purple dragon, looking directly at his son.

"I will give you what power **my** possess in turn." He stated. "You'll need it, Bane."

"As you wish, father."

"Understand one thing, Bane." Spyro warned. "This will be a sensation you've never felt before. Be sure not to lose yourself in the power."

"I understand."

"_Let us know when you are ready_." Cynder stated.

Bane turned to face North, towards the temple steps and the great battle beyond. He breathed deeply.

"I am ready."

All at once, the nine other dragons raised a forepaw in the air towards Bane. Urobos and the four Deep Shadows began giving off a great black aura. Spyro and Cynder had auras of their own, although theirs were purple.

Spyro was the first to strike Bane with energy. A great purple blast erupted from Spyro's paw and struck Bane in the back. It started swirling around the black dragon, who started shaking. Cynder did the same thing shortly afterwards, and then the seven Dark dragons acted in turn with their Dark energy. The King started shaking harder, but remained standing.

Bane shut his eyes as he began pulsing Purple and Black in a rhythmic pattern as a great Black aura surrounded him. Purple lightning shot across his entire body.

The aura around the King started growing larger, and the pulsing became faster.

"Everyone, get back!" Spyro yelled.

The nine dragons surrounding Bane starting stepping backwards, their beams of energy still connecting. The pulsing got faster, until the two colors began blending into each other. The lightning cackled around Bane even faster. The Aura around him grew bigger.

And then, Bane opened his eyes. They glowed a Deep Purple hue...

...

Rune watched helplessly as Malefor had the time of his life blasting the Dark dragon soldiers into ashes with his Convexity breath. No matter how hard they tried, the dragons couldn't do anything to harm the behemoth.

Malefor surveyed the battlefield. He had killed most of the dragons who tried attacking them. Their bodies now littered the area around his feet. Several dozen dragons had been fighting the Crepsculi that the Evil dragon summoned. They were actually putting up a good job fighting the beasts.

_It seems Bane's army is more competent than I first expected. _He stated.

_**What were you expecting, Master? **_The being named Runefor asked.

_I had expected them to be slain left and right with little effort on my part. But perhaps I haven't given them enough credit: This race of Dragons is far more capable than the last ones whom I waged war against so long ago._

Runefor laughed.

_**Why don't you just turn the tides in ur favor? **_The White dragon suggested. _**Further, that is?**_

_A wonderful notion indeed._

Malefor charged up a blast of Convexity and proceeded to annihilate more Dark dragons. He started walking forwards, towards the city.

Off in the corner of the Evil dragon's mind, Rune was curled up in a ball, still forced to survey the chaos. He tried with all his might, but he couldn't even muster enough energy to get up onto his feet and flee.

At on point, one of the soldiers managed to get up close to Malefor, flying just outside of the White behemoth's view. The soldier than swooped in and slashed the behemoth's right eye.

Malefor, Runefor and Rune all flinched in pain at once, the latter cupping his eye. In a fit or rage, The Beast grabbed for the soldier. The dragon managed to evade most of Malefor's attempts. But then the dragon made the costly mistake of flying close again, in attempt to attack the other eye. Malefor snatched the dragon out of the air and bit the poor soul's head off, slicing through his victim's flesh and bones like paper.

The behemoth let the headless corpse fall to the ground and started rolling the head around on his tongue.

_How does this taste to the two of you? _Malefor asked.

_**Delicious**_, Runefor replied.

Rune, on the other hand felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to throw up.

After torturing the weaker young dragon for a short while longer, Malefor finally spat the dragon's head out onto the ground. He looked ahead, towards the city wall, and walked forwards, killing any dragons that got in his way.

The behemoth charged up another blast of Convexity, and fired. The beam collided almost instantly, blasting a massive hole in the side of the wall. He then grabbed onto either side of the hole with his front paws, and proceeded to tear the wall down. Several dragons fired Blasts of Magic at him. The blasts stripped away at the sides of Malefor's legs, blasting chunks of his scales off. The Purple and White dragons just ignored them. Rune, however, doubled over, crying out in pain.

_Make it stop!_

_**Pathetic little shit! **_Runefor chided._** It doesn't hurt THAT much!**_

After Malefor tore a gigantic part of the wall away, he turned and blasted more Convexity at the attacking dragons, killing them all.

_So many dead… _Rune wimpered

_**Don't go crying about how it's your fault again! **_Runefor snapped.

_At this point, you're not a traitor…._ Malefor added._ You're a plague._

_What? _Rune asked.

Malefor glanced around at the city.

_Look around, little dragon. None of these dragons can do anything to stop you from killing them._

_I'm not the one doing this! _Rune protested. _YOU are!_

_Say waht you wish, little worm. You may be a weak and pathetic part of me, but you ARE a part of me, now and forever._

Malefor shut Rune away, and proceeded to walk into the city, intending to attack the Black sphere that surrounded The Nexus.

And then, something strange happened.

A great Geyser of Purple-and-Black flames erupted up from behind the Dragon temple and into the sky, parting once it reached the sphere. The geyser was incredibly wide: wider than the temple itself, in fact.

_What in the world? _The Purple dragon exclaimed.

Two great Black wings extended out of the flames. Two Deep Purple eyes stared out from the geyser.

In a moment, the flames vanished.

"WHAT?" Malefor exclaimed out loud in his hundreds-at-once voice.

Before the behemoth, across the city of Warfang and behind the Dragon temple, stood a massive Black dragon, eyes glowing Purple. Purple lightning cracked across his body.

It was Bane.


	30. Act 3, Chapter 8

Act 3, Chapter 5

"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?" Malefor demanded.

_Father? _Rune asked, shocked.

"YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!" The Behemoth roared. "I SWALLOWED YOU WHOLE!"

Bane did not answer.

He simply remained stone-faced, levitating into the air and using his magic to push The Nexus upwards, out of his way. Hundreds of Dark dragons allover the city gaped in awe at the site of the gargantuan Black dragon.

"ANSWER ME!" Malefor shouted in rage. "HOW DID YOU ESCAPE FROM WITHIN ME? AND HOW DID YOU COME TO BE THAT POWERFUL?"

Bane slowly opened his mouth. Maleefor expected an answer.

Instead, a blast of Convexity shot out of Bane's mouth instantaneously, hitting the Behemoth in the face and sending him flying backwards several dozen yards, back onto the battlefield. Malefor, Runefor and Rune all yelled in pain at the same time. Dragons scrambled away as the White behemoth crashed into the ground, causing an earthquake.

The Black Giant then flew across the air, and landed on all fours in front of Malefor. The behemoth scrambled to get back onto his feet. Bane did not stop him. Instead, he spoke to the Evil dragon. His voice sounded otherworldly.

"This ends now, Malefor." He declared. "I will not allow you to destroy my people."

"BAH!" The Behemoth sneered. "You cannot defeat me. You may be of incredible size, but you are still an earthly being, whereas **I** am indestructible. I am the Dark Master!"

"You are wrong." Bane sneered. "You are undeserving of such a title. On this night, Malefor, I shall prove that it is **I** who is the one True Master of Darkness!"

Malefor took several steps back, glaring at Bane the whole time.

"You will die this night." He snarled.

_He's going to kill us! _Rune cried out in horror.

_**Silence, you. **_Runefor sneered.

Malefor opened his mouth and fired a blast of Convexity at Bane. The Black dragon retaliated with a Convexity blast of his own. The two beams collided in the air, moving back and forth as the two Behemoths battled to overcome the other.

While Malefor was occupied, Bane held his right forepaw out to his side, summoning his sword. He used his newfound power to greatly increase the sword's size, making it big enough to properly match Bane's new size. However, instead of grabbing the handle, Bane used his magic to make it levitate in the air. He then sent it flying towards Malefor like a spear.

The White Behemoth noticed this, and instinctively dodged out of the way. This allowed the Convexity chain to break, and Bane's Convexity to continue on its way, grazing Malefor's left side. The Beast growled in aggravation, while Rune howled in pain within Malefor's mind.

Bane used the distraction to slash at Malefor's face. However, the White beast dodged out of the way, and slashed the Black Giant's shoulder. Bane countered by attacking with Convexity again. As the White behemoth dodged this blow as well, Bane teleported away in a cloud of Purple smoke, and reappeared behind Malefor. He now had his back towards the Mountains of Inferdus. This was the first part of his plan.

For a long while, the two giants battled each other: Claws tearing flesh, Roars echoing across the Outskirts, and Convexity blasting allover the place. Bane was slowly leading Malefor away from Warfang and towards his ultimate destination: Mount Erebus.

At one point, Malefor tried gaining the upper hand by summoning an army of Crepsculi to aid him in the battle. The tiny beasts swarmed around Bane like enraged, mutated Hornets. As the Black Giant did his best to blast them into ashes, Malefor took advantage of the distraction by cupping his front paws together, creating a purple aura around them, and striking the ground, creating an earthquake. Bane lost his balance and fell. The White behemoth then proceeded to slash at the Black one's side.

Thinking quickly, Bane teleported off of the ground and several dozen feet away. As soon as the Black Giant reappeared, he fired more Convexity blasts at Malefor. The White Behemoth took to the air, flying over the attacks and charging at the Black Giant. He flew past Bane, slashing side of his face with a talon in the process. As Malefor flew ahead, Bane chased after him. His target was practically leading the way now.

...

After the two Behemoths had started fighting, Cyrus watched part of the battle between the two Giants from the roof of the safehouse, and listened as the behemoths started heading north.

"Unbelievable..." The Prince said, astonished. "Was that really... Dad?"

Tina and the Deep Shadows had been watching too.

"Incredible." Albainon stated. "So, _that_ was his plan to defeat Malefor the whole time."

"But how did he pull it off?" Wraith wondered. "After all my years of studying magic, I've never heard of a spell to turn oneself into a **giant**."

"Maybe he got a little help from Lord Spyro." Albanion replied. "It's possible that the Purple dragon gave Bane a bit of his power for the fight."

"Is Lord Spyro really **that** powerful?" Tina asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." The Crimson dragon stated.

The young Black dragon sighed. He started taking a few steps forwards.

"...I'm following after them."

"What?" Wraith should.

"You most certainly are NOT." The Flora dragon scolded.

"Yes I am!" Cyrus shouted. "I told you: I don't want Rune getting killed! I'm going to go stop Dad before he kills my brother, and I'm not letting any of you stop me!"

"Your father told you that it's too dangerous!" Wraith yelled.

"I DON'T CARE!" The Prince exclaimed.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU-!"

Before either of the two Deep Shadows could say or do anything else, the young Black dragon activated his Time element, freeing the world in place. He then turned around, spread his wings, and took off for flight, using his Dark energy to prolong the effects.

By the time the spell wore off, Cyrus was long gone.

"-DON'T CARE!" Wraith finished screaming.

He gasped in surprise when he saw that the Prince had vanished.

"Where'd he go?" Tina exclaimed. Albanion groaned.

"It would seem that he's used his Time element to flee." He stated with chagrin.

"Damnit!" Wraith roared. "Now what do we do? Should we chase after him?"

"We can't leave Nellie alone." Tina pointed out.

"...I shall go after the prince." Albanion declared without faltering. "Wraith, you and Tina should stay here and look after the Blue dragoness."

"You sure you should be heading out there alone?" The Dark Red dragon asked.

"Now is not the time for questions."

The Flora dragon spread his wings and took off for flight. Wraith and Tina watched as he left.

"...Good luck, man." The Crimson dragon stated.

...

The Two Behemoths had started wandering away from the city.

Grail, Elza, Rose, Nerona, Argos and Icarox were all completely dumbstruck by what Bane had become.

"By the Ancestors..." The Twins said in unison.

"Bane has become nigh-unstoppable." Grail stated. "The day is as good as his!"

"I'm afraid that it isn't that simple." Urobos replied.

"Bane is still weak enough to be slain." Spyro added. "However, with that much power fueling his blows, your King will have just as much a chance to slay Malefor as vice versa."

"Do you think he will be victorious?" Nerona asked.

"_He MUST be._" Cynder answered solmnly. "_Otherwise, our world will be doomed to suffer Malefor's tyranny once again._"

It was at around this time when Elenar stepped out of the temple.

The Pain dragoness walked down the temple stoop to approach the group of dragons.

Elza smiled at Elenar, while the Elders and other Deep Shadows were flabergasted.

"Elenar?" Rose shouted. "Lady Elenar?"

"Greetings, Rose." Elenar replied, smiling slightly.

"So, your son Cyrus has succeeded in bringing you back to life..." Nerona stated.

"So it seems..." Grail commented, smiling. "Bane will be so pleased to see you again." He flashed a glare at the Dark Grey Deep Shadow.

"Do you hear me, Nerona?" He stated.

"Yes, yes. I understande."

Elenar frowned in confusion.

"Is something wrong?"

"I will inform you later, Milady." The Fauna dragon replied. "In the meantime, I must go check on the damage that's been done to the city, as should the rest of the Deep Shadows."

"That seems like a good idea." Elza commented. "Let us go. Good evening, Elenar."

And with that, the Deep Shadows took to flight and flew towards the northern section of Warfang. During this, the Elders turned towards Cynder.

"What should _we_ do, Great One?" Argos asked.

"_Return to The Nexus and look after the children._" She commanded. "_You will find that passage has been cleared for entry once again._"

"Yes, Milady." Icarox stated.

The two Dark Red dragons vanished in clouds of smoke. In the meantime, Cynder turned towards Elenar.

"_Now would be the opportune moment to leave, Elenar._"

"Yes..."

The Dark Grey dragoness spread her wings in preparation of flight. She had one goal now: Get back to the Pit of the Fallen.

"Where are you going, Elenar?" Urobos asked.

"I'm returning to Mount Erebus." She answered. "I need to get there in time before Bane kills Rune."

"What would convince you to do _that_?" Urobos queried.

"_I have._" Cynder stated.

"You can't possibly wish for her to that, do you?" The aged Black dragon declared. "Elenar could get slaughtered in the crossfire of Bane and Malefor's fight."

"I won't let anything stop me, Urobos." The Pain dragoness snapped.

The aged Black dragon sighed.

"I know that I can't stop you. So at least let me come with you."

Elenar thought about it for a moment, and then decided.

"I'll let you accompany me, if you promise not to try and stop me whenever I try something that you think is rash or dangerous."

"What kind of promise is that?" Urobos asked incredulously.

"Just promise me, Urobos."

The aged dragon just looked into his daughter-in-law's eyes. Whatever she was planning, she was dead serious.

"Alright, I promise I won't try to stop you, whatever it is you do."

"Thank you, Urobos."

"Allow me to accompany you as well." Spyro said. "I still have a few reserves of Magic left. It could prove useful to you."

"You may come, Lord Spyro, but you must make the same promise as Urobos." Elenar stated.

"You mean the promise not to interfere in whatever scheme you concoct?"

"Yes."

"You have my word."

And with that, the three dragons turned to take off took off towards the North. Cynder watched them leave, before vanishing in a cloud of Shadows.

As the three dragons began heading towards the Mountains of Inferdus, they suddenly heard another dragon approaching from just behind themselves. They turned to discover Albanion flying towards them.

"Albanion?" Urobos queried.

"Prince Cyrus has fled to chase after Bane and Malefor!" The Flora dragon wasted no time saying.

Elenar gasped in horror.

"He did WHAT?" Spyro demanded.

"I must stop him before he gets himself killed!" Albanion declared.

The Flora dragon flew right past the others and continued on his journey.

"It seems I'm gaining more companions by the second." Elenar said with chagrin. "Let's go, before more come to join us."

"As you wish." The two Aged dragons said.

The dragons spotted the path of destruction that was left in the two Behemoths' wake: Their magic had blasted a series of craters into the ground. Pools of blood were scattered here and there. And off in the distance, the sounds of the two Beasts battling could be heard echoing across the Veros Outskirts.

"I hope I can make it in time." Elenar said solemnly.

...

Bane and Malefor had fought their way to the Mountains of Inferdus.

The two Behemoths were flying high above the mountain range, biting and clawing at each other. The freezing cold temperature was nothing to them. When Bane made an attempt to slash upwards across Malefor's chest, the White Behemoth dodged to the side, flew underneath and around the Black Giant, grabbed his tail in one paw and one of his wings in the other, stabbing the wing membrane with his talons. As Bane snarled, Malefor tossed his opponent downwards towards the mountains below.

Bane crashed violently into the sides of several mountains, causing them to rumble and crack. As the White Behemoth closed in to attack again, The Black giant held his paws out, gathering energy. Right as Malefor got close, part of one of the nearby mountains broke free and collided with the side of his face. Several more chunks of the mountains started breaking free and started pummeling the beast repeatedly.

While Malefor was distacted, Bane got up, grabbed the behemoth's head, and slammed his face into the side of a mountain, and then another one a short distance away, and finally the first one again. Malefor managed to break free by blasting Bane's underbelly with a Convexity beam. He then grabbed part of a mountain, ripped it off, and smashed it against the Black Giant's snout. Both Behemoths were now bloody-faced.

As the battle ensued, Cyrus watched it take place from afar.

After the Prince's Time magic wore off, he started using his Wind element in order to fly at incredible speeds. This enabled him to keep up with the battling Giants, though he made sure to keep a good distance away, for his own safety.

"Incredible..." The young dragon stated with awe. "I've never seen a battle like this, and I don't think I ever will. Maybe Dad really _does_ need to do this..."

Bane started flying north, Malefor close behind, trying to blast the Black Giant with Convexity. Bane flew left and right, doing his best to dodge the blasts as he led Malefor to Mount Erebus. Unfortunately, one of the blasts managed to blast a whole in one of Bane's wings, throwing him off balance. Malefor used this opportunity to blast Bane in the back of the head with another Convexity beam, sending him crashing into the ground a second time.

"Oh no!" Cyrus shouted.

While Bane was down, Malefor landed on top of him, and grabbed the base of the Black Giant's right wing between his teeth. He proceeded to tear at it, attempting to rip it off. Bane roared in anger as blood pooled around Malefor's mouth.

"Come on, Dad!" The Prince pleaded. "Don't let him beat you!"

Thinking quickly, Bane summoned his sword, and used it stab Malefor in the side. The White Behemoth roared in pain, letting go of Bane's wing in the process. Bane then elboed Malefor's belly, and pushed him off.

"Alright!" Cyrus cheered. "Way to go, Dad!"

The Prince's father didn't hear a word of this: He was too far away.

Now free again, Bane rolled over, got onto his feet, and turned to face Malefor, who was lying on his back. In a split second, Bane grabbed the beast's neck with both front paws, lifted his head, and slammed it down against the side of a mountain. He then lifted the White Behemoth's head again and repeated the motion multiple times. Several of Malefor's nine horns cracked in the process. One of them, the horn second from the right, had broken in half. However, the White behemoth saw this as an opportunity. Malefor grabbed the horn shard off the ground, and then immediately blasted Bane with Convexity in the belly. While the Black Giant was stunned, Malefor drove the pointed edge of the horn shard into Bane's left eye, stabbing him. The Black dragon Howled in pain.

"You fucking cheater!" The young dragon exclaimed in anger.

Malefor then slashed the Black Giant across the face, knocking him to the side. The White Behemoth followed this up by blasting Bane with Convexity yet again, sending him reeling backwards several dozen yards. The Black Giant opened his one good eye and saw Malefor charging at him. Bane summoned his sword yet again. He sent it flying towards the White Behemoth, while firing a blast of Convexity at him at the same time. As the two attacks charged at Malefor, The White Behemoth jumped into the path of the Convexity and fired his own blast at it. This created another bridge between them. Unbeknownst to Malefor, Bane's sword curved upwards, flying high into the air.

As the Convexities pulsed back and forth, the White behemoth started walking fowards towards Bane, intending to shorten the distance between the two beams. Meanwhile, the Black Giant made his sword swing in an arc, fly downwards, and land in front of Malefor's beam. The silver blade of the sword acted as a mirror as Bane flew up and away from the White Behemoth. Once Malefor realized what had happened, he angrilly smacked the sword to the side. It vanished into Dark energy as it fell. The White beast got up and chased after Bane.

"Hey, wait up!" Cyrus shouted, shooting forewards with his Wind element again.

Bane was leading Malefor closer and closer to Mount Erebus, with the Prince tagging along in hot pursuit.

...

Elenar, Albanion, Urobos and Spyro flew across the Veros Outskirts as fast as they could. Spyro used the reserves of his Wind element to enhance their speed.

"What do you intend to do at Mount Erebus?" Urobos asked.

"The Great Shadow, or Cynder, told me to travel there as soon as possible." Elenar answered. "She said perhaps, if we can find enough Gems, than we can use the Ritual to revive Rune after he's been... you know."

Elenar still found it distasteful to say.

"Oh? I suppose that is a possibility." The Black dragon stated. "Yes, it could work! And if the Ritual is performed right as Rune is being killed, than he will only be dead for a little over a short moment."

"There is a problem with that." Spyro said.

"What would that be?" Albanion asked.

"Rune's energy and spirit has bonded to that of Malefor's, and enhanced by the power of the Eclipse. Rune's spirit needs to be separated from the excess energy, or the Ritual won't work properly."

"How are we supposed to accomplish that?" Urobos queried. The Purple dragon grimaced.

"I wish I knew."

"I'll find a way." Elenar said, determined. "I won't lose my son again! And I'll stop my other son before he gets killed in the crossfire of Bane's struggle!"

The four dragons continued on their way.

As they reached the Mountains of Inferdus, the destruction caused by the two Behemoths started getting more severe. Entire chunks of the Mountains had been torn apart and tossed left and right. Bane and Malefor could be heard fighting each other in the distance.

Spyro sighed.

"This is a disaster." Albanion stated.

"It is a good thing Bane had the foresight to lead Rune and Malefor somewhere unpopulated." Elenar said. " Imagine if those two had continued their battle in Warfang. So many more innocent dragons would have lost their lives."

"That reminds me." Urobos stated. "Are you going to reveal that to him that you are alive when we catch up to them?"

Elenar pulled her hood back over her head, her hair and horns vanishing. She applied a Shroud of Darkness to her scales, and took on the form of a Dark Red dragoness once again.

"I don't know." She answered solemnly. "He needs to focus on defeating Malefor, but I need to stop him before he deals a killing blow."

"You should reveal your identity to him once he's forced Malefor into submission." Albanion suggested. "He will listen to you then."

"Do you really think so, Albanion?"

"It's possible."

As the conversation was about to end, Urobos gasped. He had suddenly realized something.

"We need to travel even FASTER!" He exclaimed.

"What is it?" The other three asked in unison.

"Those Light Dragon guardians and two children are still in the Mountain!"

Elenar, Albanion and Spyro gasped. Immediately, the Purple dragon used every ounce of his magic to propell himself and the three others fowards at breakneck speed. They had to warn the Light dragons to flee before they're slain in the crossfire.

...

Pain. Horrible, unending Pain. Rune never imagined this kind of torment existed.

Everything that happened to Malefor in the battle, Rune and his other self Runefor were forced to suffer in turn. The difference was that Malefor used his magic to heal himself and Runefor. While those two were healed of their pains, Rune's suffering lingered on.

He felt as though the bones in his face were horribly mangled. He could feel the metal-tasting blood pouring into his mouth, and allover his body. Every muscle ached. He was too tired to stand, or even sit up. He just lied on the floor of the void in agony, a river of tears flowing from his eyes.

_Make it stop... _He whimpered.

_**What are you crying about? **_Runefor demanded.

_Make it stop... please... _

The White dragon groaned in disgust.

_**No.**_

_Why?..._

_**Crying and begging for mercy seem to be the only things you're good at. **_The White dragon sneered. _**I might as well leave you to do it.**_

_But..._

_**Your suffering will be all over soon anyway.**_ Runefor added.

_What do you mean?..._

The White dragon chuckled.

_**Let's just say that I have a few plans of my own lying in wait. I'll fill you in when the time is right...**_

And with that, Runefor left Rune alone in his agony. Rune curled up in a ball.

_Father, I know you can't hear me right now, but please... kill me! I can't take this anymore..._

...

Hontus and his family had fallen asleep. Jules and his daughter got some rest as well. This left Voden the only one awake.

The Light dragons needed someone to stand guard, incase they were attacked by Crepsculi, or the Dark dragons returned. The Orange Guardian had elected to stay awake while the others got some sleep.

For a long while, nothing really happened. Voden found his watch duty to be quite boring. He started pacing back and forth at the entrance to the Mountain. He could see the moons high up in the night sky, shining through the thick clouds above the mountain range. Voden shut his eyes to listen to the calmness of the night...

And then, he heard something.

It sounded like two great forces colliding together repeatedly, and with ever-increasing ferocity. At first, it was faint. But over time, it got louder. Soon, the ground started shaking as something collided into the snow-covered ground.

Immediately, Voden ran over to Hontus and started shaking him wildly.

"Hontus, get up!" He shouted. The Red dragon awoke calmly.

"What is it, Voden?" He asked through a yawn.

"Something just collided with the mountainside! I don't know what, but it's big!"

Hontus got to his feet, when the ground started shaking again.

"What in the world?"

The Red Guardian shook Seraph to wake her up, while Voden ran over to Jules, doing the same. As the Yellow and Blue dragons woke up, something exploded a good distance away from Mount Erebus. It sounded as though a Mountian was broken in two.

"What was _THAT_?" Jules shouted, alarmed.

He and Hontus ran to the entrance as far as they could without being hit by the Moonlight, and their mouths gaped open in shock.

In the distance, a giant Black Monster had crashed through one of the Mountains.

"By the ancestors!" The Lightning dragon shouted.

He ran back and shook Emerald awake. Meanwhile, Seraph was now on her feet, and shaking Blankridge awake.

"Emerald!" Jules shouted.

"Blankridge, wake up!" The Water dragoness exclaimed.

The two children woke with a start.

"What is it, Daddy?" Emerald asked, stretching.

"Are they back, Mom?" Blank asked, rubbing his eyes.

Suddenly, a great Roar echoed across the Mountain range. A giant White monster appeared over the mountains, and was attacking the Black one.

"There's two of them!" Hontus shouted.

"What do we do?" Seraph exclaimed.

Voden turned and ran deeper into the Mountain passageways.

"We need to flee!"

Jules grabbed Emerald by the paw and ran with her after Voden. Seraph was about to do the same, when she noticed Hontus hadn't moved from his spot at the front of the Passageway.

"Dad?" Blank asked.

"The White one..." Hontus said, still looking fowards. "It almost looks like..."

"HONTUS!" Seraph shouted. The Fire Guardian snapped out of it, gasping. He turned and ran up to his wife.

"Come on! Let's go!" He said.

And with that, the three dragons ran after their companions, heading deeper into the Mountain.

...

Mount Erebus was now only about a few hundred yards away.

Bane had almost lead Malefor to the Mountain. Along the way, he had managed to weaken the White Behemoth, forcing him to use part of his Magic to heal himself. The Black Giant healed himself as well, although not to peak health. He still ached all over, and his eye was still stabbed through with a chunk of Malefor's horn. But that didn't matter. All he had to do was get Malefor close enough...

As the two Giants dueled, Cyrus watched the spectacle from high above in the sky. The Prince shivered in the cold mountian atmosphere.

"Damnit..." He complained, rubbing his forelegs allover his hind ones.. "I really wish I had the Fire element right about now..."

While Bane was distracted, Malefor managed to get close enough to grab hold of the Black Giant's tale with both paws, sinking his talons into his flesh. As Bane roared in annoyance, the White Behemoth started spining clockwise in midair, using Bane's own weight against him to gain speed. Malefor used his magic to go even faster, spinning the Black Giant through the air like a gigantic top. He then suddenly stopped and let go, sending Bane hurtling across the air, towards Mount Erebus. Bane wasn't able to stop himself.

The Black Giant violently crashed into the side of a mountain, causing it and the mountains around it to crack, and the ground to shake for a great distance around the crash site. Bane had landed on his back: The bones in his wings were broken. He withheld the erge to roar in pain.

"By the Ancestors!" Cyrus shouted, still shivering.

Suddenly, Malefor crashed down on top of Bane, the White beast using his legs to pin down the Black Giant's limbs and breaking the upper parts of each one, rendering them useless. Bane gritted his teeth. Malefor then backed up a short distance, and then grabbed Bane's chest, lifting the Black Giant into the air above him. Bane's limbs dangled helplessly as Malefor lifted him up and knelt back as far as he could without dropping the Black Giant. The White Beast charged up a bit of energy in his forelegs, and tossed Bane towards the Mountians at record speed. Bane crashed right through them, like a boulder smashing through grass.

"NO!" The Prince cried out in horror.

Bane landed on his back before the very mountain he wanted to bring Malefor to: Mount Erebus. Despite his and Malefor's monsterous sizes, the Mountain was still a towering Monolith before him.

_I'm here. Now I only need to subdue Rune._

Bane heard the White behemoth charging fowards, so he started building up a blast of Convexity in his mouth, waiting for the time to strike. Malefor tried jumping upon Bane, but the Black Dragon opened his mouth as soon as the White Behemoth's face got within range, striking him in the face. Malefor fell on top of Bane, who started using his magic to mend his bones. Once they were healed, Bane pushed his opponent to the side, off of himself.

Bane got to his feet. He spread his wings and levitated into the air. He held his right forepaw out and summoned his sword once again. This time, he charged it with Convexity energy, causing the Blade to glow deep Purple. The sword also started to grow longer and wider, changing from a longsword and becoming a broadsword.

"Wow..." The young dragon was dumbstruck. "I didn't know he could do **that!**"

The Black Giant turned and faced Mount Erebus. He held the blade flat, parallel to the ground, and drove it into the side of the mountian. The sword went deep into the mountain, so that only the hilt was still sticking out. At about this time, Malefor had healed the damage to his face and had gotten back onto his feet, snarling with rage. Bane abandoned his sword and turned to fight the White behemoth back. He needed no distraction if he was going to destroy the mountain.

...

Elenar, Albanion, Urobos and Spyro had followed the two giants all the way to Mount Erebus.

They made sure to keep a good distance away from the battle, for fear they might get hit by a stray attack. Bane and Malefor could be seen clawing and slashing at each other before the giant Mountain. It was an incredible site to behold two Gigantic beasts figthing to the death before such a monument.

The Flora dragon looked around at the sky. He hadn't seen any trace of Prince Cyrus up to this point, and was trying to find him.

"Cyrus doesn't seem to be anywhere..."

As this happened, Urobos spotted something that seemed out of place. Well, at least by the battle's standards.

"Do you two see that giant sword hilt sticking out of the front of the Mountainside?" He asked, pointing to it.

Elenar studied it, and then gasped.

"That sword belongs to Bane!" She exclaimed.

"What would bring him to atttack the mountain?" Spyro asked.

"Perhaps it got stuck in the mountainside when he tried to impale Malefor with it." Albanion suggested.

"If that's the case, than why would the sword be buried up to its hilt?" Urobos queried.

"It doesn't matter!" Elenar yelled. "What matters is we get to Cyrus, and the Light dragons inside the mountain, before they're killed!"

The three male dragons exchanged glances, nodding.

"Right!"

The four dragons made a beeline for the mountain, careful to go around the battle between the two giants. They waited for a moment when they could enter the Mountain passageway...

...

Bane and Malefor were locked in combat, clawing and biting at each other. Now that the Black Giant had gotten started on destroying the mountain, he needed to reserve his magic. So, he relied on his physical strength and prowess to render the White behemoth unable to fight, for as much time as possible.

At one point, Bane landed a lucky blow against Malefor's neck. As the White behemoth gagged, the Black Giant grabbed his face with a paw and slammed it against the side of a mountain. He then struck Malefor in the back of the neck, where it met his head. Malefor howled and went limp for a moment.

"Don't forget, Malefor!" The Black Giant roared. "No matter how much you alter it, you are still possessing the body of a **CHILD**!"

Bane then turned around and grabbed the sword hilt, Magic charged into his forepaws at the same time. Once the Black Giant grabbed the hilt, he unleashed the magic, charging up the sword and causing it to fire a beam of Convexity out of the base of the blade, engulfing the rest of it. The Convexity beam ripped throught the Mountain, blasting a hole through the other side. After this was done, Bane gripped the sword tightly and pulled it across the side of the mountian. The hole on the other side was made wider and wider as this happened.

"What in the world is he doing?" Cyrus wondered.

After a moment of doing this, Bane heard Malefor get back onto his feet. The White Behemoth had recovered. So, the Black dragon stopped what he was doing and turned to face his enemy once again. Malefor fired another blast of Convexity at Bane, who dodged to the side. The Purple beam continued on its path and struck the side of the mountain, creating a large crater. As this happened, Bane ran fowards and tackled Malefor, sending the two dragons flying fowards, away from the Mountain several dozen yards.

...

Once the two giants had gone a distance away from the Mountain, Elenar wasted no time flying for the entrance inside. Urobos, Albanion and Spyro followed suit. Once they had entered inside, the Pain dragoness landed and started running fowards. the aged dragons followed her, although Urobos started panting heavily.

"Are you alright, Mi'lord?" Albanion asked.

"I'm too old for this." He complained.

Spyro smirked.

"I'm not."

"This isn't the time for jokes!" Elenar protested. "We have to find them!"

...

Bane grabbed Malefor and smashed his head into the ground, breaking a few more of his horns. To keep him down longer, The Black Giant grabbed the White behemoth's head again and smashed it against the ground a few more times, causing the formation of a small crator. He then let go of the behemoth and ran back to the Mountain.

Bane grabbed the hilt and repeated what he did before, cutting a wider hole across the midsection of the mountain. Once he made it about two-thirds across, the Mountain started to shake and rumble.

_The mountain is becoming unstable. Soon, the giant, hollow pillar of stone will fall off of the top._

In the meantime, Cyrus became more and more shocked and amazed by what his father was doing. His increasing excitement caused his body heat to rise.

"He's destroying the mountain!" The young dragon declared.

Bane stopped what he was doing and turned to face Malefor again. He wasn't fully recovered yet, but Bane didn't want to take any chances. The Black Giant ran fowards and started to beat the White behemoth down. At first, he thought he had knocked his enemy unconcious. But then, Malefor started glowing Purple. Bane gasped, and jumped back.

Malefor was entering Fury State. Purple energy started charging around him.

_No! Not Now!_

High above, Cyrus realized what was about to happen as well.

"It's a fury!"

The Prince immediately turned and flew farther away from the battle to avoid getting killed.

In the meantime, the White Behemoth got to his feet, completely healed. He turned and glared at Bane Malevolently.

"You're doomed, you wretch!" He bellowed.

Bane ran back to the Mountainside and started tearing at the upper part of the slot he had made in the mountain with his sword. He did anything he could to cause the Mountain to fall fowards. Malefor approached him, ready to unleash his Fury.

Bane grabbed his sword and did his best to finish the cut through the mountain. Suddenly, Malefor shoved the Black Giant hard against the Mountainside, cracking it greatly. The White Behemoth then pinned Bane to the ground before the mountain.

Malefor glared into Bane's eye, filled with evil intent. He laughed at the being who dared to challenge him for the title of Dark Master.

Suddenly, a great rumbling noice filled the area. The damage that was dealt to the Mountain was finally too much for it to bear. The Mountain started falling fowards towards the two behemoths.

"WHAT?" Malefor exclaimed in shock.

The White beast got off of Bane and pressed his paws against the gigantic slab, trying to stop it's descent. Now free, the Black Giant got to his feet and pulled his sword free of the mountain, tossing it away to the side. He then backed away, leaving Malefor to deal with the falling mountain alone.

Seeing no other way to escape, the White behemoth began charging up his Purple energy once again. When he charged enough, he unleashed it. He used his Convexity Fury.

A gigantic Purple sphere of energy erupted out of the White behemoth's body and exploded outwards. Bane jumped away in shock. The falling Mountain slab was engulfed in the energy, dissolving into nothingness upon impact. The side of the base of the Mountain was greatly damaged as well, and a good number of surrounding Mountains were completely destroyed.

...

The Light dragons fell to the ground as the Mountain shook violently. Chunks of rubble were falling down all around them. They were trying to run back to the Pit of the Fallen, but soon found that the passage leading there was blocked off.

"What's happening?" Blank exclaimed.

"I think the mountain is being destroyed!" Jules responded, alarm in his voice

"Quick! back the way we came!" Hontus yelled.

The Light dragons turned around to run back. Chunks of the ceiling started falling down around them. Emerald was almost crushed by one of them. She yelped in surprise when the stone crashed to the ground beside her.

"What do we do?" She exclaimed.

Suddenly, the sounds of paws hitting the stone floor quickly and repeatedly came from the opposite direction.

"Who's there?" Voden demanded.

Within a moment, four dragons ran up to the others from the Darkness of the passgeway. It was Elenar, Albanion, Urobos and Spyro.

"Thank the ancestors!" Urobos said. "You're all still alive!"

"How do we get out of here?" Seraph demanded.

"All of you, gather together around us!" Spyro shouted.

"Why?" Jules asked.

"Do you wish to be crushed to death?" Albanion demanded. "Do as he says!"

Without further question, the Light dragons did as they were told.

Once all of the dragons were close together, Spyro began transferring his energy into Urobos.

"Hold on!" The Black dragon yelled.

He started creating a portal of Darkness around the group. They teleported away moments before the entire ceiling came crashing down on top of them.

...

Once Malefor's Convexity Fury had ended, Bane looked around.

The clouds above them had vanished. Snow was replaced by dirt all around. The Mountains around the area were completely obliterated. The only mountain that remained was Mount Erebus, and it was reduced to a fraction of its origional size. Its top was now a flat surface, wide enough for both Behemoths to stand on, in theory. However, the hole in the center that was part of the Great Chasm still remained.

Cyrus had managed to fly far out of harm's way. He then turned to head back to the area to see what became of the two behemoths. He saw that both Giants were still alive.

"Thank the Ancestors..." He stated.

Bane glanced at Malefor, and gasped. He had expected the White Behemoth to be lying on the ground, tired. Instead, he was quickly charging up energy, smirking.

"Did you think that I would use ALL of my power for that attack?" He laughed. Bane didn't respond.

Malefor was still powerful, but he was weakoned. All that was left was to get him in place...

Bane charged his energy, just as the White behemoth was doing. He then summoned his sword, which was still in its Purple Broadsword form, and flew fowards at his enemy. Malefor fired a barrage of Convexity blasts at Bane. The Black Giant used his sword as a mirror yet again, redirecting each blast in a different direction away from either of them. Bane then tackled Malefor, sending the two flying fowards against Mount Erebus's side.

In the meantime, Cyrus realized what his father was about to do, and started flying closer in.

"I've got to stop him!"

The Prince used his Wind element to augment his speed yet again, moving as fast as he could.

Bane grabbed Malefor and tossed him on top Mount Erebus. Bane jumped into the air and started blasting the White Behemoth repeatedly with a volley of Convexity blasts, hitting him multiple times on various parts of his body. Bane then lifted his sword up for the finishing blow...

...When a young dragon flew right up to the Black Giant's face.

"STOP!" He screamed. "DON'T KILL RUNE!"

Bane was dumbstruck.

"Cyrus?" He asked, becoming enraged. "What are you DOING here?"

This was all the distraction Malefor needed.

The White dragon fired a Convexity beam at Bane's chest, sending him reeling backwards and out of the sky. The Black Giant roared in pain as he collided with the ground a good distance away, his sword crashing to the ground before Mount Erebus.

"DAD, NO!" Cyrus shouted, horrified.

"Stupid little dragon." Malefor grinned..

Without warning, the White Behemoth lept upwards, snatching the young dragon out of the sky with his right forepaw. He then proceeded to slowly crush the life out of the young dragon. Cyrus yelped in pain as he fought to free himself.

"LET ME GO!" He demanded.

The Prince tried sinking his talons and fangs into the side of Malefor's talon, but it was no use.

"Your interference has cost your father greatly, stupid little boy." The White behemoth stated.

Bane struggled to get back onto his feet.

"PUT MY SON DOWN!" He demanded.

"I could very easilly swallow this little dragon whole..." Malefor replied. "..But I have a much **better** idea."

"What?"

The White Behemoth instantly charged forwards, ramming into the weakened Bane at incredible speed. Malefor then rolled he Black Giant onto his back, and forced his mouth open. Bane struggled to break free, but the White behemoth struck him in the stomach, wounding him again.

Malefor then held his right forepaw over the Black Giant's open maw, and tossed Cyrus into Bane's mouth. The White Behemoth clasped his enemy's mouth shut immediately afterwards.

"Swallow him!" Malefor declared. "Consume your son!"

Bane, quite horrified with what had just happened, fought with all his might to break out of Malefor's hold and spit Cyrus out, but the White behemoth used both of his forepaws to cover the Black Giant's mouth and tilt his neck back, trying to force his enemy to swallow. All the while, the young dragon had grabbed onto Bane's tongue and held on for dear life. However, the sliminess of the tongue caused him to lose his grip shortly afterwards, and he tumbled backwards towards the back of the Black Giant's throat.

"Please don't eat me!" Cyrus begged.

Bane continued to fight, swinging his forelegs madly about and struggling to twist his body around to break free of Malefor's grip.

But in the end, it was in vain.

After a short moment, Malefor managed to force the Bane to swallow his son whole.

"It is done!" Malefor exclaimed.

The White Behemoth let go of his enemy and stepped backwards, a triumphant grin upon his face.

"NOO!" Bane roared in despair.

The Black Giant immediately got on all fours, trying with all his might to self-induce vomiting to rescue Cyrus, but to no avail. He could hear the young dragon thrashing about and screaming in fear within his belly.

_Dad, PLEASE, let me out!_ The young dragon pleaded in his mind. _I'm sorry I followed you! Please, don't do this to me!_

Bane was so horrified, he couldn't even form words to speak.

"How delightful this turn of events has been." Malefor stated. "I have conqured your mate in the afterlife, turned one of your sons into my minion, and forced you to devour your other son. I swore I would exact my vengeance upon you for murdering me all that time ago, and Oh, how I have."

Bane lifted his head to glare. His entire being became fueled by rage. He unleashed a mighty, earsplitting roar, so loud that it stunned Maleor for a brief moment.

"DAMNATION!" The White Behemoth sneered, struggling to shake the disorientation away.

Without warning, the Black Giant charged forwards, ramming into Malefor and sending him flying backwards. The White Behemoth crashed onto the top of Mount Erebus once again. Bane then started blasting Malefor with a multitude of Convexity blasts allover the Behemth's body.

Malefor tried to fight back, but Bane's assault was relentless, his every blow fueled by blind Fury.

Then came the final blows. Bane grabbed Malefor's head, jabbing his thumb talon between the White Behemoth's eyes in the process. Bane lifted Malefor's head up, and brought it crashing downwards, shattering the rock beneath the White Behemoth's head, and breaking most of his horns in the process. Malefor tried to grab at Bane, but the Black Giant retrieved his sword, lifted it upwards, and used the flat end of the blade to smash the bones in the White Behemoth's upper left foreleg. He then immediately swung the sword and crushed the opposite foreleg.

Malefor roared in pain.

Lastly, Bane lifted his sword up, levitated into the air, and came crashing down, stabbing The White behemoth's belly with the sword, running it right through his flesh.

But this wasn't a killing blow: Bane was careful with his sword, running it through in such a way that it slipped right between Malefor's organs and stopped before it damaged the spine.

Blood started pouring all over Malefor's hide, staining his White Scales. He looked up at Bane, confused and angered.

"What do you intend to do?" Malefor asked, still enraged.

"I despise you with every fiber of my being." Bane sneered. "However, I know you are only manipulating my son and acting through him. I will not allow you to possess him any longer, Malefor, nor will I allow you to do any more harm to my family ever again."

Bane started to glow from a Purple-and-Black aura. His sword did as well.

"What are you..?" Malefor asked.

Suddenly, the White behemoth gasped. He started glowing Purple again. but he wasn't controlling the energy. Malefor's energy started merging with the energy of the sword, which in turn merged with Bane's energy. Bane was using his sword to drain Malefor's Convexity into himself.

"STOP!" The White Behemoth demanded.

"No."

As Malefor's Convexity was drained form him, his entire body turned into Purple energy. He screamed in agony as he began to shrink. Meanwhile, Bane started growing larger, and his body started pulsing with energy. The horn in his eye dissolved, and the eye was healed.

"DAMN YOUUUUUUUUUU!" Malefor screamed. And that was the last thing he said.

Soon, Malefor's energy became smaller and smaller as the Convexity was drained from him. Eventually, it turned black, and shrunk to the point where it was lying just in front of Bane's sword. As this happened, Bane grew to a new Gargantuan size. He had completely taken over Malefor's Convexity. His unstabbed eye had turned into a duplicate of Malefor's: A sickening yellow color with demonic Irises.

...

The group of Dragons teleported safely into what was left of the area around Mount Erebus. All of the dragons looked around: A great radius around the Remains of Mount Erebus were a complete wreck.

The six Light dragons had been rescued from being crushed to death in the destruction of the mountains. However, this led them to befall another terrible fate.

Since they were now exposed to the elements, the Red Moonlight of the Eclypse now shined down upon them. Each and every one of them fell over and became weakoned as their Elemental magic was drained away.

Spyro and Urobos used the remains of their magic to tend to the fallen dragons as best as they could, while Albanion summoned forth several different plants around himself to concoct a serum to help them gain their strength.

While the other Dark dragons tended to their companions, Elenar was the first one to look at Mount Erebus. She gasped.

Bane had somehow grown even bigger. A thick purple aura surrounded him. Purple Lightning cackled all across his body.

"What has he done?" Urobos asked. "Where is Rune?"

"Rune?" Seraph asked, coughing. "That White Monster was Rune?"

"Technically," Spyro stated, "it was Malefor possessing Rune's body. But in any case, one could say that Rune was the monster too. I wonder where he vanished off to..."

"I've got to investigate this." Elenar said. She took off for flight, heading towards Mount Erebus.

"Elenar, wait!" Albanion exclaimed. He handed the herbs to Jules, and then took off after the Pain dragoness immediately afterwards.

Urobos and Spyro sighed.

"This can't be good." The Purple dragon stated.

"We had best follow suit." The Black one added. "We still have to find Cyrus as well."

The Aged dragons prepared to take flight.

"Hey, what about us?" Hontus shouted at the two dragons

"We'll return for you! Don't worry!" Urobos shouted back.

Hontus sighed.

"Wonderful."

...

Bane shook where he was standing. It was a struggle to remain in control of the power.

He now contained Malefor's spirit within him, along with all of his essence. It was trying to merge with the Convexity that Bane contained within him. The Evil dragon was trying to take control.

Bane glanced down at Rune. He had returned to his true form: A small black dragon. He seemed no more than an ant now, lying before his gigantic father. Bane sighed.

Deep within the Black Giant, Cyrus was still struggling to keep himself alive. He cried out in pain as Bane's stomach acid burned his hide.

_Please let me out, Dad!_ He screamed._ I don't want to die!_

The Black Giant shed a tear.

_I will release you soon enough, my son._ He said to Cyrus reassuringly via telepathy. _Just hold on for a short moment._

Bane reached out and grabbed his sword hilt. He then spread his wings and levitated upwards. He lifted the sword up, ready for the killing blow. And then, he swung it down, stabbing himself in the chest, right through his heart.

As he crashed downwards onto his hind legs, the magic within him started to break apart. He then fell fowards, his body exploding into Purple-and-Black magic upon impact. The stone slab that was the roof of Mount Erebus then crumbled inwards. Rune's unconscious form fell through the mountain stone beneath him as it broke into pieces.

As the stomach lining around Cyrus started turning into pure magic, the young dragon suddenly found himself plummeting through the air He screamed as he fell, unable to right himself and fly to safety.

Bane and his two sons fell downwards into the Mountain, landing in the chamber of the Pit of the Fallen.

Elenar stood in absolute horror. Urobos, Albanion and Spyro were shocked as well.

"WHAT DID HE JUST DO?" Elenar srceamed.

"He killed himself!" Albanion shouted incredulously.

A massive amount of Black energy floated out of the giant hole in the mountain. It rose upwards and outwards all around, before fading into nothingness.

"That's Darkness energy." Spyro pointed out. "Where's the Convexity?"

"Bane must still have it." Urobos answered, still somewhat in shock from the spectacle.

"Quickly, then!" Elenar shouted. "To the Pit chamber!"

The three dragons flew as fast as they could after Bane.

...

Bane crashed down onto the southernmost platform in the Pit chamber.

The Pit of the Fallen had remained completely unharmed by the Mountain's destruction, although it was now exposed to the elements. His gigantic body had dissolved when he stabbed himself. The only energy that remained within him was Malefor's onvexity. His body was still Black, but it was pulsing a Deep Purple. Bane's eyes were still yellow and demonic. He could feel Malefor in the corner of his mind trying to take over, but Bane was fighting back. He still had the hole in his chest where he had landed the blow to his heart, though Malefor was using his energy to try and heal the wounds. The Purple dragon was fighting to keep from dying, and the Black dragon was fighting to force him into submisison.

Bane looked over at his sons. Rune's body was still horribly wounded, but Bane had been able to keep him from being crushed in the fall. Off to the side, Cyrus lay unconsious on the stone floor as well, parts of his scales badly damaged and bleeding from being trapped in Bane's stomach.

The King walked forwards and sat down before his two sons.

"Oh, my sons..." He said sadly. "My poor boys..."

Bane started to cry.

He waved his paw, using his magic to heal Rune's and Cyrus's injuries. The large wound in Rune's belly was fully healed, and the bones in his forelegs were partially mended, but he still had various other cuts and bruises allover his body. He started breathing again, but remained asleep.

Cyrus, on the other hand, was completely healed, and was slowly coming to.

"...Dad...?" The shorter young dragon asked, slightly afraid.

"I am here, Cyrus." Bane replied.

The Prince got up onto his feet and looked at his father.

"What's happened to you?" He asked.

"Don't be frightened, my son: I am still myself." The King stated.

"Okay..."

Bane pulled Cyrus closer and hugged him again once again.

"What're you doing, Dad?" His son protested.

"Forgive, me, Cyrus." Bane said sadly. "I've never given you or your brother the full attenion you deserved when you were little. And after we lost the rest of our family, I ignored you even more. I became lost in my own pain and frusteration, and never fully realized how much you have suffered as well. Had I only shown you the proper love and care, you never would have desired to bring your mother back, and none of this would have happened. I have failed you, Cyrus."

"Dad..."

Bane let Cyrus go, and turned to look at Rune.

"As for you, Rune..." He began, knowing fully well that his son could not hear him.

"I lost you five years ago, thinking you were dead. When I learned you were alive, I refused to believe it, thinking it was all a lie meant to trick me. When the Great One imparted the truth on me, my heart sank in my chest. To think, you feared being branded a traitor this entire time.."

Bane placed a forepaw on Rune's forehead.

"I do not blame you for your mistakes, Rune. You are not the one who decided to take up arms and attack an innocent city. You are not the one who laid waste to hundreds of lives. You are as much of a victim as the rest of the Dark Dragon race. And you are my son, now and forever."

The King stood back up.

"Had I but known you had ended up in Glenhaven, I would have fled there immediately to reclaim you. I would have sought a way to free you of Malefor's torment and possession, just as I have now. You shall live on after this night, Rune. But as for me..."

Bane got up and limped to the Pit of the Fallen.

"What're you doing, Dad?" Cyrus asked.

"...I must do what I can to keep Malefor from terrorizing the world, Cyrus." He answered solemnly.

The young dragon's eyes lit up in shock.

As Bane approached the edge of the Pit, Elenar, Albanion, Urobos and Spyro came to a landing. Elenar threw back her hood and ran fowards.

"BANE!" She exclaimed.

"That voice.." Bane turned around. He found himself looking face to face at Elenar. He gasped.

"Elenar?"

The Dark Grey dragoness embraced her mate, crying profusely. He accepted the embrace, and cried with her.

After five long years, the two were finally reunited, if only for a moment. The Black dragon wrapped his great wings around the dragoness, and placed his chin on top of her forehead.

The other dragons watched the two, not saying a word.

"Rune and Cyrus were successful." She said. "Even though Malefor succeeded in being resurrected, _I_ was given new live as well."

"Why did you hide your face from me?" Bane asked. "Why not come to me as soon as possible?"

"I wanted to reveal it to you after we arrived in Warfang. But then, things got out of hand, and I didn't want you to be distracted by me."

"I... I understand."

Elenar nuzzled her mate for a moment, and then backed up.

"Where is Rune?" She asked.

"He's over there, Mom." Cyrus answered.

The young dragon pointed to where his brother lay on the floor. Urobos walked up to the boy and knelt before him.

"Is he..?" Urobos began.

"No." Bane answered. "He's very much alive."

Albanion stepped forewards. His presence surprised Bane.

"You are here as well, Albanion?" He asked.

"I was trying to find Cyrus." The Flora dragon. "He had me worried sick."

The Deep Shadow shot the young dragon a brief glare. Cyrus grimaced, while Bane sighed.

"You were right, Albanion."

"About what, your Highness?" The Flora dragon queried.

"There's no need to use formalities anymore."

"Alright. What was I right about, Bane?"

"I **have** changed." The Black dragon stated solemnly. "I was driven by utter madness, and wouldn't listen to you when you tried to get me to return to my senses. You were even more concerned with Cyrus's safety than I was, and wished to find Rune while I didn't even consider the idea that he was alive. You are a far better father to my sons than I ever shall be."

"Don't say that." Albanion demanded.

"I'll say what I will." He replied. "You have always served me well, and have been my greatest friend since we were children. As such, I have a small request to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Continue looking after my two sons the same way you always have. And if you ever have children of your own, I trust you'll look after them the same way."

The Flora dragon smiled slightly.

"Of course, Bane. You have my word."

Bane turned and looked towards Urobos.

"Father, I hope you can forgive me. I have made a terrible King."

The Aged Black dragon walked up to Bane, carrying Rune with him.

"Terrible? Far from it. You have made terrible mistakes, to be sure, but you have been able to keep the Dark dragon race unified as one, just as I did during my time as King. You are a Good ruler."

Bane smiled. He then faced Elenar, and removed the Jade necklace from around his neck.

"What are you doing, Bane?" She asked. Bane handed her the necklace.

"I no longer need your necklace, my love. I wish for you to take it back."

Elenar honored his request, placing it around her neck. The King then removed his Purple Crystal from his neck. The Crystal still contained a small amount of Convexity energy.

"Cyrus.."

"What, Dad?" The young dragon asked.

"I cannot make up the years I've wasted not looking after you, but I **can** give you this. This Crystal contains what little Convexity I've left untouched. I pray that you'll make good use of it in the future."

Cyrus cautiosly accepted the Crystal, and hung it around his neck.

"Uh.. Thanks, Dad."

Bane turned back to face Urobos once again. He held his front right paw out, summoning his sword to him. It had returned to it's original state.

"What are you doing, Bane?" Urobos asked. The King held the sword in both hands, presenting it to his father.

"I want Rune to take my sword. It is his possession now."

Urobos took the weapon, albeit unwillingly.

"What about you? It is your signature weapon."

"Where I'm going, I won't need a weapon."

Elenar, Albanion, Cyrus and Urobos became confused.

"Where are you going?" Elenar asked.

Bane didn't answer her. Instead, he turned to face Spyro, who had remained silent this whole time.

"Lord Spyro."

"Yes, Bane?" The Purple dragon asked. Bane bowed his head.

"I am guilty of attempting to eliminate your people, the Light dragon race. I am also the one responsible for Malefor's spirit being released from his Comatose state. And even though his Spirit has been removed from my son's body, he now lies within me. If left unchecked, the Dark Master will possess me as he did Rune, and use my power to wreak havoc allover again. Therefor, I shall punish myself by sealing myself within the Crystal core of the World."

"What?" Elenar, Albanion and Cyrus exclaimed.

"By sealing myself within the core of the World, Malefor will be sealed as well, thus returning him to his original prison."

"You would do this willingly?" Spyro queried. Bane nodded, stepping backwards towards the edge of the Pit.

"Of course."

"NO!" Albanion protested.

"You can't do this to yourself!" Elenar added. "You can't just have yourself be imprisoned right when we're finally together again!"

Bane looked at Elenar.

"Please do not try to stop me, my love. I must do this, for the good of the world."

"If this is what you wish to do," Spyro said, approaching him. "I won't stop you."

The Purple dragon turned his head up to call to the sky.

"Cynder."

In a moment, a Black cloud of Shadows appeared next to Spyro. The Black dragoness appeared next to him.

"_What do you need, Spyro?_" She asked.

Spyro took a moment to explain what had happened: How Rune was returned to his normal form, and how Bane was willing to sacrifice himself to seal away Malefor.

"_Are you certain this is what you wish to do?_" The Black dragoness asked him.

"Yes. It doesn't matter if I am sealed away til the end of time."

"_Then we shall honor your request._"

Spyro's and Cynder's eyes glowed White. Suddenly, a great number of spirits rose out of the Pit of the Fallen and surrounded Bane. He gently fell backwards, falling into the Pit. He allowed the spirits to grab ahold and carry him. As they brought him downwards, Bane looked at his family one last time.

"Farewell." He said. He then shut his eyes.

The spirits brought Bane down deep into the Pit, until they all vanished in the Green Light below. And just like that, the King was gone.

Elenar knelt down, crying softly. Albanion, Cyrus and Urobos were crying as well.

"Dad..." The young dragon choked.

"Farewell, my love." Elenar said softly.

The dragoness turned to face Spyro and Cynder.

"What happens now?" She asked.

Spyro turned to look at the sleeping Rune.

"We return to Warfang, and wait for Rune to awaken."


	31. Act 3, Chapter 9

Act 3, Chapter 9

For the longest time, Rune was asleep.

But the young dragon didn't dream of anything. He was surrounded by absolutel Darkness, but not the frightening darkness. It was the kind of darkness that helps you sleep at night.

Rune was calm. He felt as though a great burden was lifted from him. Malefor was nowhere to be found in his mind, and the being named Runefor seemed to vanish along with him. It was the best sleep he had gotten in ages.

But soon, his slumber would come to an end…

"Rune." He heard someone say. He didn't respond. He only wanted to sleep.

"Rune, wake up." He heard again. The voice sounded familiar…..

And then, realization dawned on the Black dragon. He suddenly remembered everything that happened to him, from his flight from Glenhaven, to the resurrection of Malefor, to the Havoc he Wreaked in the Purple dragon's captivity, to the final battle with his father Bane. All of the evil things he was forced to witness replayed in his mind. He became afraid.

"Wake up, my son." The voice said.

Her son? It was Elenar.

Rune slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurred, almost useless.

He looked up and saw the face of his mother glaring down at him with her Fiery red eyes, just like in his nightmares. His heart raced in his chest.

"No..." He wimpered. "Not again..."

Rune tried to move to run away, but found that he could barely move. He was lying on his back, forced to look up into the face of his mother..

But after a moment, the haze in his eyes started clearing. The darkness around himself started fading away to reveal a stone room around him. The Demonic eyes of his mother became earthly. And her gaze was't filled with anger of disgust. It was a look of concern and worry.

Rune looked around himself.

He found himself lying on a large cloth mattress, in a large infirmary of some sort. The reason Rune couldn't move was because various bandages were wrapped around his limbs and torso, and his right foreleg had a splint worn on it. His forehead had a bandage wrapped around it as well.

Elenar was standing next to the mattress Rune way lying on, and watched his every move.

"Mo..Mother." He stuttered., fear welling up inside him once again

The young dragon tried to suddenly move away from the dragoness, but groaned in slight pain when he tried this. Elenar seemed to sense his fear, because she frowned.

"Why are you afraid of me, Rune?" She asked.

He struggled to get up the nerve to speak to her.

"Aren't you mad at me?" He asked.

"For what, Rune?"

"I…I'm the reason you died in the attack on The Hive."

The dragoness sighed.

"That wasn't your fault, Rune. I don't blame you. I never did."

"But, I…"

"_Give me some time to talk to him._" A powerful voice stated.

Rune looked around for the source, but saw no one else.

"Who's there?" He asked.

"_Bring him to the Elders' Chamber, Elenar._" The voice commanded.

"As you wish." The Dark Grey dragoness looked down at her son. "Are you able to walk, Rune?"

"Um.."

The Black dragon slowly walked towards the edge of the mattress, ignoring the slight pain in his chest. He set his left foreleg on the cold floor with no incident, but groaned in pain when his right foreleg came next.

Elenar sighed.

"Here. I'll help you."

She placed a forepaw on her son's shoulder, and the pains in his leg vanished.

"Th.. Thank you." He said quietly.

"You're welcome, Rune."

Once Rune was on all fours, he looked up at his mother.

"What now?" He asked.

"Follow me to the Elders' Chamber." She stated. "There's someone you need to meet."

Elenar proceeded to lead Rune out of the door to the Infirmary and into the hallway beyond.

As the two dragons walked along, Rune saw that he was in a large, stone-and-metal building. A great number of Dark dragons were walking through the many halls and pathways, heading on their way towards various destinations and preparing for any number of tasks and assignments.

Whenever a Dark dragon saw Elenar, they bowed in aliegance to her. During this, Rune tried to avoid looking at them: He was unsure what they thought of him.

"What is wrong, Rune?" The Dark Grey dragoness asked.

He refused to answer.

Eventually, Elenar and Rune arrived at the doorway to the Elders' Chamber.

When they walked in, the room was completely devoid of life. Rune could see the sun's light shining through the windows high above. The Pool of Visions glistened in the light as well, filling the nearby air with a Green aura of sorts.

"There's no one here." The young dragon stated, slightly confused. "Mother, why did you..?"

Suddenly, a Cloud of Black fog appeared on the opposite side of the pool of visions, surprisinng the young dragon. A large, Black dragoness with Emerald eyes appeared in the cloud, and looked down at Rune.

"_Greetings, little one._" She stated. "_This meeting is long overdue._"

"Who are….?" Rune asked, though unable to finish the question out of fear.

Pity welled up on the dragoness's face.

"_Don't be afraid, little one. I am Cynder, though you may know me as 'The Great Shadow'._"

"The Great Shadow?" Rune repeated, alarmed.

The Black dragoness sighed.

"_You may call me Cynder._"

Elenar turned around and proceeded to walk out of the chamber.

"I will return shortly." She said.

After the door shut behind her, Rune looked back up at the Black dragoness.

"_Rune, you have made mistakes in the past that have led to the deaths of hundreds. And just recently, you have had a hand in the resurrection of the Dark Master, who has caused the deaths of even MORE dragons._"

Rune knelt his head in shame.

"_Do you admit your guilt?_"

"…Yes." He stammered. "Please, I never meant for any of this to happen. I'm sorry..."

The young dragon shut his eyes waited. He expected Cynder to do something to him as punishment for his sins.

But nothing came.

"_What you don't realize is that you have already been pardoned._"

Rune looked up in confusion.

"What?" He asked.

"_Did you misunderstand? No one blames you, save for yourself._"

"But, I'm the reason that hundreds are dead!" Rune protested. "I've done so much wrong! How can I be forgiven so easily?"

Cynder sighed. She walked up to Rune, holding a talon out towards him. The small dragon jumped back a little.

"_I'm not going to hurt you._" The dragoness reassured."_I merely wish to show you something._"

Cynder placed her talon on Rune's forehead. Instantly, images started appearing in his mind….

Rune saw the image of a Black Dragoness of great size leading an army of apes against an army of dragons. The Dragoness looked similar to Cynder, though much younger and slightly bigger.

Everything seemed so real: The air was filled with a thousand battlecries, and the light of the setting sun beat down upon Rune's vision. The earth shook beneath the young dragon's feet, and a multitude of dragons and apes rushed past him in the battle.

It was if he were actually on the battlefield, witnessing it take place firsthand.

"_Do know who that is?_" Cynder asked, referring to the other Black dragoness. Rune thought for a moment, and it dawned on him.

"That's you."

"_Correct. I was not always the Matriarch of the Dark dragon race. Long ago, I was the monster you see there, raging a war against my own kind. I was a minion of the Dark Master, the dragon Malefor. I led his armies all across the world, slaughtering hundreds of lives._"

"But, that wasn't your fault!" Rune said. "You were captured as an egg and forced to do his bidding."

"_Correct."_

The image changed to one of Cynder fighting a young Purple dragon in a strange, ethereal world of floating platforms.

"Is that Lord Spyro as a young dragon?" Rune asked.

"_Yes._"

Rune watched as Spyro blasted Cynder with Convexity. The Black dragoness fell down defeated, her body shrinking down to that of a young child.

"_This is the moment Spyro freed me from Malefor's control. After this, he dived into the portal to save me, and he carried me back to the Mortal world._"

As Cynder described them, the events took place before Rune's eyes.

"After this, you returned to normal, right?"

"_Correct._"

The scene changed again. An image of the child Cynder running away from the Dragon Temple appeared. Sorrow was painted on the young dragoness's face.

"_After Spyro freed me, I still felt guilty for what I had done while under Malefor's control, despite Spyro saying that it wasn't my fault. So, I ran away, looking to find my own place in the world."_

The next images showed a montage of Cynder's journey across the world. One of the more detailed images was one where Spyro and Cynder circled each other on a massive flying Pirate Ship. The two young dragons seemed prepared to attack one another, though a moment later, this proved to be a ruse. Soon, the image faded away, and several others took its place.

"_During my travels, I encountered a number of beings who still remembered my evil deeds, and they tried to kill me. To make matters worse, I was being pursued by Gaul, who believed I had turned traitor._"

The image of Cynder being led forwards in a chain before a large Ape dressed in battle armor and wielding twin Katanas.

"_Eventually, his forces captured me and brought me to the Well of Souls. Gaul intended to turn me over to Malefor once he had returned._"

"But Spyro came to save you."

The image changed to Spyro fighting Gaul in the Well of Souls.

"_Yes._ _But, he almost failed. He became filled with part of Malefor's essence, and temporarily fell under his influence. Malefor then used Spyro to kill Gaul. I managed to get him out from under Malefor's control. You know what happened next, I presume._"

"The Mountain started to crumble down around you, so Spyro used Time Fure to create a Crystal barrier around you two. It saved you, but it also held you prisoner for three years. That's when you escaped."

Images of Spyro and Cynder fighting monsters appeared. They were each wearing a strange, Green, Snake-like necklace, and an ethereal chain appeared whenever they moved too far apart.

"_After we escaped, we encountered many beings who were under attack by Malefor's forces. They were grateful to Spyro, but a great number of them spat hate at me. I recall you once saying that this wasn't fair._"

Rune blushed.

"Yeah."

"_But despite the hostility I received, I still did my best to help those people. Eventually, when Spyro and I faced Malefor, he managed to trick me. He made me believe that I tricked Spyro into coming to rescue me from the Well of Souls, so that he could accidentally resurrect Malefor. For a brief moment, I doubted myself, and he took control of me again._"

An image appeared of Spyro, Cynder, and Malefor. Cynder had turned evil once again, and was attacking Spyro, trying to force him to fight back.

"That's so horrible."

"_Despite my assault, Spyro did not defend himself. This was the moment I finally learned of Spyro's feelings for me. I managed to break free of Malefor's control, and the two of us fought him, together once again. During the fight, we fell to the Crystal core of the world, where Malefor was sealed away by Ancient spirits._"

The images appeared just as Cynder said.

"_After this, the planet started to fall apart. I finally apologized to Spyro for all my past actions, and he forgave me. Shortly afterwards, he used his power as a Purple dragon to restore the entire world. I confessed my love for him in that moment._"

"After that, the countless dragons that were killed by Malefor before their time were brought to life, right?"

"_Correct. The twelve breeds of dragons were created, six of Light and six of Darkness._"

A new image appeared. It was one of an adult Cynder standing before a great Temple in a grand city. Countless Dark dragons were standing before her, bowing their heads in reverence to her.

"What is this?" Rune asked.

"_This is many years later, in the newly completed city of Aeroshard, the new home of the Wind dragons. This was the day the Dark dragons of the world praised me for my past deeds to save the Dragon race, and the day I was given the title 'The Great Shadow'."_

Rune watched as Cynder looked upon the great crowd, a look of satisfaction on her face. She held a paw against her belly.

"Where was Spyro during this time?"

"_He was in Warfang during this moment. He had to organize the Light dragons together, just as I was doing here. We hadn't seen each other in a few days at this time._"

"Didn't you miss him?"

"_Oh, I missed him. But I was also happy. I had recently discovered I was going to have another egg._"

"Another?" Rune repeated.

"_The first child that Spyro and I conceived was a girl, a Purple dragoness whom we named Chrisala. The second one we had was a boy, who was named Nexius._"

"He's the one who would eventually become the first Black Dragon King of Clan Capricorn."

"_Correct._"

"But what does all of this have to do with me?"

The image began changing again.

"_You're not so different than I was at your age._"

"How so?"

"_You blame yourself for things that were beyond your control. Like this day…_"

An image appeared of Rune being confronted by Darkstalkers in the city of Warfang.

"This was when I revealed the existence of The Hive." The young dragon said ashamedly.

"_Yes. You blame yourself for revealing your city's location. But, you were only a cub at the time. You didn't know who these people were. They took advantage of your naivety and tricked you. They then lied to you that they would keep your secret, and you believed them._"

The image changed again, this time to a more recent one. Rune saw himself talking to "The Chronicler" in that cave in the Fractured Hills.

"_This is when Malefor first convinced you to go to the Pit of the Fallen._"

"He told me I could find Cyrus and help him resurrect mother."

"_Yes. He was lying to you. His real intention was to have you resurrect __**himself**__, and manipulated you with false promises. However, the desire to resurrect your mother was yours, and it was real._"

"Yeah."

The images faded away, and Rune returned to the outside world, and saw Cynder looking down at him.

"_Tell me, Rune. Why did you want to revive your mother?_"

"I wanted her to forgive me for causing her death."

"_Rune, it is time you learned the truth: That night in The Hive, your mother Elenar killed you._"

The young dragon gasped, his eyes lightning up.

"What?" Rune shouted, taken aback. "That's not possible!"

"_Do you remember being surrounded by an army of Darkstalkers?_"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"_During that moment, Elenar used Pain Fury to kill both you and herself painlessly while the attackers suffered._"

"But, then how..?"

"_Shortly after you two died, you fell into the Underworld. While there, Malefor found your mother as she was trying to find a way to send you back to the living world. Elenar struck a deal with Malefor to have you brought back to life, offering herself up as payment. As Malefor revived you, he placed a small portion of his essence into you, so that you would eventually become his puppet. Your memory was erased in the process._"

"But I thought Malefor was sealed away in the core of the world hundreds of years ago."

"_He was. But, seven years ago, your father Bane fell down into the Underworld, and stumbled upon Malefor's chamber. He started freeing the Dark Master from the crystal, because the Purple dragon had promised him powerin return. Malefor then used his power to slowly corrupt Bane's mind, and the King's desire for power increased. But, when Malefor tried to take over your father's mind completely, he came to his senses and retaliated by killing Malefor. Unfortunately, this was a terrible mistake: by killing Malefor, his spirit was free to wander the Underworld. That's how he came to find you and your mother._"

"So, everything that has happened to me is because of my parents?"

"_Yes. Neither of them were happy with their actions when the fulle extent of their deeds was revealed to each of them. It pained your mother to watch you living on, blaming yourself. Your father believed you were dead this whole time, as well as your Grandfather. When Bane finally learned the truth about what happened that night, he fled to the Pit of the Fallen in hopes of stopping you before Malefor could use you to revive himself. But your father failed._"

"Where is Father now?"

"_After he absorbed Malefor and all of his essence out of your body, he had himself sealed away in the Core of the World. He is now frozen there, with Malefor's Spirit trapped within him. As for your mother, she is trying to work up the nerve to ask you to forgive her for killing you that night._"

Rune was nearly dumbstruck.

"Mother wants **me** to forgive **her**?"

"_Of course, little one._"

"What about everyone else?"

Cynder smiled. She turned and walked over to the door to the Chamber.

"Cynder?" Rune asked.

The Black dragoness opened the door slightly.

"_Elenar, come here_."

Cynder turned and walked back. Rune's mother entered the room shortly afterwards and joined them once again.

"_Speak to your son, Elenar._"

The Dark Grey dragoness looked down at Rune. The young dragon could see sorrow building on his mother's face.

"Rune, I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you. I never should have used Pain Fury that night."

Elenar lowered her head down to bow to her son.

"Can you ever forgive me, my son?"

Rune never expected to here this from Elenar.

For the longest time, he had feared she would one day come after him for revenge. But now, here she was, fearing that _Rune_ would be the one seeking vengeance. Rune had only imagined his mother's hostility all along.

Rune walked up and hugger Elenar's foreleg.

"I love you, Mother."

He started crying.

The Dark Grey dragoness hugged him back, crying as well.

"I love you to, my son."

Cynder watched them, satisfaction on her face.

"_This is how it should be._"

...

After speaking with Cynder, Elenar took Rune to see the others. Along the way, he found what happened after he passed out at Mount Erebus:

Rune had been asleep for an entire week.

The Night of Eternal Darkness had come to an end. During the inbetween period of time, Elenar ordered Albanion and the other Deep Shadows to take lare platoons of soldiers and disperce to every part of the Dragon Realms where Bane and Malefor had both sent swarms of Crepsculi. In the meantime, most of the other Dark dragons had been hard at work repairing the damage done to Warfang.

Elenar decided to reveal to the Dark dragons that she and Urobos were, in fact, alive and well. It was also announced that Bane had given his life to defeat the giant white monster, which was revealed to be Malefor, who, through "Unknown methods", had managed to reincarnate himself as the hulking White Beast. No word was allowed to be spread of Rune and Cyrus's involvement in the Dark Master's resurrection. Cynder and Spyro's existence and involvement in Malefor's defeat was also kept secret.

The citizens were sad to learn of Bane's death, but were also happy to have their Queen and Ex-King back. Not a single dragon objected when Elenar announced to them that she would be taking over Bane's place as ruler of the Dark Dragon Monarchy, and the coronation was made official when the Deep Shadows and their soldiers all returned from their week-long extermination.

"Where are Spyro and Grandfather?" Rune asked.

"Urobos is currently speaking with the Elders up in The Nexus." Elenar answered. "As for Spyro, he doesn't want anyone else knowing that He and Cynder are around, so he's taken to hiding in the deepest parts of the Temple. You'll speak to him later."

The dragoness came to a stop.

"We're here."

Elenar brought Rune to the Temple Library. It was unpopulated, except for Albanion, Elza, Cyrus, Hontus, Seraph, Blank, and Emerald.

At first, Rune was nervous. But Elenar told him that Spyro and Urobos explained to everyone that Rune had been possessed by Malefor and took over the young dragon's body. They had forgiven him.

The first person to greet Rune was Cyrus, who was overjoyed to see his brother again. The shorter Prince held his brother in a tight hug, which drove him nuts.

"I never gave up on you!" Cyrus said happily.

"Cy, let go of me!" Rune protested.

"Oh, right." Cyrus let go of him, embarrassed. "Sorry."

The three adult Dark dragons chuckled at the sight.

Rune walked up to Albanion and Elza next.

"Hi..." He said awkwardly.

The Wind dragoness smiled at Rune. She was wearing her Dark Grey robes once again.

"It's good to see that you are yourself again, your highness." She said warmly.

Rune allowed Elza to hug him. He glanced up at Albanion during this.

"I was convinced that you were lost to us." He said coldly. "I am glad that I was wrong."

Rune smiled. That was the same Albanion that he always knew.

The young dragon then turned and looked up at Elza.

"I'm sorry that I attacked you back in Glenhaven, Aunt Elza." He stated.

The Wind dragoness chuckled.

"_Aunt_ Elza?" She repeated. "I haven't heard either you or your brother call me that in ages."

"Is it alright?" Rune asked.

"Of course it is." Elza replied. "And I accept your apology as well."

After talking to the Flora and Wind dragons for a few more minutes, Rune turned and walked up to the people he was most nervous about speaking to: Hontus and Seraph, his foster parents.

Elenar watched as Rune approached them.

"Hi, guys." Rune said to them.

"Are you feeling alright now, Rune?" Hontus asked.

"Yeah." He said.

He started crying.

"Rune?" Seraph asked.

"I'm sorry for the things I said back in the Pit chamber!" Rune started. "You two have been great parents to me! The best! I was wrong to say those things! But, I couldn't help it! I..."

Seraph wrapped her forelegs around Rune. Hontus hugged him as well.

"It's alright, Rune." Seraph said

"We know you weren't yourself at the time.", Hontus added.

"Everything's alright, Rune!" Blank exclaimed.

Rune started to calm down a little.

"Thank you." He said.

Elenar walked over to the group, Cyrus following close behind.

"I never thanked you two, did I?" The Pain dragoness stated

"For what?" The Water dragoness asked.

"I want to thank you both for being there to raise my son while I was... unable to."

"Oh, your welcome, your highness." Hontus replied.

"Please, just call me Elenar."

"Alright then", Seraph said, smiling. "You're welcome, Elenar."

Elza was watching the dragonesses, a scowl on her face.

"Are you sure you want to be so buddy-buddy with the likes of _HER_, your majesty?" The Dark Green dragoness asked, hostility in her voice.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Seraph snapped.

"Elza, Seraph, please! Not now!" Elenar pleaded. "This isn't the time to be picking fights."

Elza harrumphed.

"This should be behind you by now, Elza." Albanion stated

"Who's side are you on?" Elza demanded.

"Everyone's." Albanion responded. "What kind of question is that?"

Elza just glared at him. His face showed discomfort.

"What?"

"You're such an idiot, Albanion."

Elza turned to leave the room. The Flora dragon was confused.

"What? What did I say?"

He then chased off after her. Cyrus and Blank started to laugh, but each boy's mother glared at him, making them both stop.

Elenar sighed.

"I hope she hasn't caused you too much trouble, Seraph."

"It's alright." Seraph replied. "I was wrong. There are a lot more good-natured Dark dragons than I first believed, such as yourself."

"Thank you." The Pain dragoness said, smiling.

"Now that Rune is awake, there's something I wish to talk about with you two, Hontus and Seraph."

"What is it?" The Red dragon asked.

Elenar turned to face Rune.

"Rune, if you want to, you may go back to Glenhaven to live with your foster family."

"What?" Rune asked. "I can go back to Glenhaven?"

"Yes, if you want to." Seraph said.

"It's also okay if you want to stay with you real family in Warfang, Rune." Hontus added.

Rune looked between his foster parents and his Blood mother.

He was happy to have finally made peace with Elenar, and would be more than happy to go back to living as a Prince. On the other hand, he still loved his Foster family, and didn't want to forget about them.

After thinking for a minute, he looked up at Elenar.

"Can spend part of the year living with you, and part of the year living in Glenhaven?"

The Dark Grey dragoness smiled.

"That sounds reasonable to me. Hontus, Seraph, do you agree?"

"If that's what Rune wants, than it's okay with us." Hontus said happily.

"When we return to Glenhaven, we'll speak to the Elders about this." Seraph added. "I'm sure they'll agree."

"Thank you, guys." Rune said to them.

"Rune, while we discuss the arrangements, why don't you go off and spend some time with Blank, Emerald and Cyrus?" Elenar asked.

"Okay."

Rune, Blank, Cyrus and Emerald went off to explore the upper levels of the library.

They spent a good half hour talking up a storm. Rune told them about his journey since leaving Glenhaven, and Blank and Emerald talked about their journey trying to find him. Cyrus spent some time talking about his journey in the Raunn Jungle and the Valley of Avalar.

For a while, Rune was happy. He was chatting with his brother and two of his best friends, all of whom seemed to have become friends as well. But then, something started to bother him.

Someone was missing.

"Where's Nellie?" Rune asked.

As soon as Rune mentioned her, Blank, Emerald and Cyrus got silent.

"What's wrong?" the Black dragon asked. "Is she alright?"

"Well….." Emerald mumbled awkardly.

"The adults don't want us to tell you about her." Blank replied.

Rune's eyes lit up in alarm.

"Why not?" He asked, getting worried.

"We're not sure." Cyrus answered.

"I've got to find out what happened to her!" Rune exclaimed.

"Why don't you just ask one of the adults?" Emerald asked. "Maybe they'll tell you."

Immediately, Rune turned to run back down to where the adults were. However, the vigorous movement caused his stilted leg to flare with pain again, and he changed to a casul half-walk, half-limp.

Elenar, Hontus and Seraph were still talking where Rune had left them. Seraph was the first to notice that something was wrong by the look on the young dragon's face.

"What is it, sweetie?" She asked, concerned.

"Where's Nellie?" Rune demanded. "Is she okay?"

"Are you sure that you're ready to see her?" Hontus asked. Rune didn't like the sound of that.

"Yes, I'm sure!" He shouted.

"Alright, calm down." The Red dragon looked over to Elenar.

"Could you show him the way?"

"Of course." The Pain dragoness said. "Follow me, Rune."

...

Elenar led Rune out of the Library and down several halls. Hontus went with them as well.

As the three dragons walked through the halls, they happened to encount two Dark Red, very old dragons: Argos and Icarox.

The Twin Elders had been making their way towards the lower floors of the Temple, When they saw three other dragons, they nodded to their Queen in servitude, and then looked down at the Black dragon.

"Greetings, Prince Rune." Argos started.

"It's a great honor to be seeing you in person once again." Icarox added.

"Um, hello..." The young dragon said nervously.

Prince Rune. He would have to get used to be called that again.

"How have things been going with the children?" Elenar queried.

"Other children?" Rune asked, confused.

The Elders ignored the young dragon's question.

"Several of the naturally born hatchlings and cubs are beginning to stir." Argos answered.

"However, they have not all awakened yet." Icarox stated.

"The transformed ones are still locked in slumber as well." The Twins said in unison.

"I see..." The Pain dragoness stated. "Well, I will attend to that matter once I have finished with the one concerning my son."

"Understood." The two Elders stated. "We shall await your aid, your Majesty."

The Twins continued walkind on their way, and the other three continued on theirs as well. The whole while, Rune tried asking what the Dark Red dragons were talking about, but Elenar didn't seem to want to answer.

"You'll find out about it later, Rune." She promised.

Elenar led Rune and Hontus to another part of the Temple that was used as an infirmary, independent from the one that the Black dragon woke up in earlier. After walking down several rows of doors, they stopped at one.

"Nellie is in here." Elenar said. "She was healed of her burns a few days ago. She's been allowed to stay here until her magic energy returns, so she can heal anything the Healers may have missed."

The Water dragoness was alive and well. Rune sighed with relief.

"We'll let you see her alone, okay, Rune?" Hontus asked.

"That's fine." He answered.

The Fire Guardian opened the door, and Rune walked inside, the door shutting behind him.

The room looked like a standard hospital room. The floor was hard tiled, with white walls. There was a window on the far side of the room, whch was left open. There was a bed to the right of the window, and a small bench right underneath it. A pair of torches were placed around the sides of the room, though they were left unlit at the moment.

And on the bed, there was a young Blue dragoness. Nellie.

Nellie was still pale from losing her Magic. Various bandages covered several parts of her scales, similar to Rune. She seemed to have a cold as well, since a small, damp rag soaked in hot water was draped over her forehead, and she was sneezing slightly.

The Black dragon got nervous as he approached her. She must have heard the door open, because she spoke.

"Who is it?" She asked, not looking up.

Rune took a deep breath before speaking to her.

"Hi, Nellie."

She gasped, and sat up to look at him.

"Rune?"

Nellie moved the rag from her forehead, got off the bed, and stood up to face him.

"You're back to normal."

"Um, yeah…."

The two young dragons looked at each other, both of them unsure of what to say.

But then, when the memories of the horrible things Malefor had said to the Water dragoness came back, the Black dragon started crying.

"Oh, Nellie.."

He crumpled to the floor, bawling.

"I'm so sorry! I couldn't stop Malefor from saying those disgusting things to you! He was lying! I swear on my life! I don't hate you, and I never have! And I..."

"No, he was right." The Blue dragoness said.

"Huh?"

Nellie got teary-eyed as well.

"In all the time I've known you, I've done nothing but pester you. I've always been trying to get you to talk about you past, when I should've just minded my own business. And even though you've gotten angry at me for it countless times, I never learn to stop. I should've known not to develop a crush on you, when it was obvious you didn't share the same feelings."

"Nellie…"

"And I shouldn't have had these feelings in the first place. You're my foster brother. We could never be together normally. It's wrong. If Malefor had killed me that night he swallowed me, I would have deserved it. So, I'm sorry for the way I've behaved towards you, Rune, and I understand if you never want to see me again."

Rune couldn't bear to hear the dragoness talk like that. He got up and looked her in the eyes.

"Nellie, you've got it all wrong. I've had the same feelings for you too."

"You have?" She sounded confused.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Well, It's just that, I always get mad so easily, I was afraid that I might hurt you someday, so I kept the feelings to myself. And then, thanks to me, I almost got you killed by the Dark Master..."

Rune knelt his head in shame.

"I'm really, really sorry, Nellie."

The Blue dragoness put a paw on one of Rune's. He looked up at her.

"I forgive you, Rune." She said, smiling. "Do _you_ forgive _me_?"

The Black dragon finally calmed down. He smiled back.

"Yes."

After that, the two young dragons hugged each other. The fear and doubt that each one felt was gone.

"What happens now?" Nellie asked.

"I'm going to be spending part of the year here in Warfang, and another part of the year in Glenhaven", Rune answered. "I won't technically be part of your family anymore, so maybe we can have a relationship without it being a secret."

"I'd like that." Nellie said.

Rune sighed.

"I wonder what Roxanne and the others will say when they find out." He stated.

"Well, I guess we'll worry about that later." The dragoness replied.

"I guess so."

Rune stepped away from Nellie.

"Is there anything you want to do while you're here?"

"Well, I'd like to explore the Temple."

"Then let's go together."

Rune and Nellie turned and walked out of the room, their tails wrapping around each other.

...

It was the middle of the night.

The eight Deep Shadows were gathered together in the bottommost chamber of The Nexus, the chamber known as The Crux.

It was a Large, circular, stone roon, with no windows of any kind. Thw chamber was kept illuminated by various torches along the wally. Twelve doors were built into the sides of the chamber, and the floor was divided into thriteen sections: twelve around each door, and the thriteenth sat in the very center. Each of the first twelve sections had a large Glyph engraved into the floor near the centermost section, which was completely Black in color. Starting from the northernmost section of the chamber, and rotating clockwise, the pattern of glyphs was:

A pair of crossed infinity signs of Aries, a roaring Lionhead of Taurus, a massive Lightning bolt of Gemini, a Crab of Cancer, a rippling Echo pattern of Leo, an Inverted Circle of Virgo, a Set of Scales of Libra, a Lily Flower of Scorpio, a Flaming Arrowhead of Sagitttarius, an Hourglass of Capricorn, a Cyclone Aquarius, and a Tear drop of Pisces.

Each of the eight warriors stood upon a glyph that matched the clan they hailed from.

Albanion was the first to speak.

"Would you care to explain why you requested this meeting, Grail?"

"There is a certain matter that needs to be brought to our organization's full attention." The Fauna dragon replied. "Something that will require our Queen's presence."

Nerona flashed Grail a quick glare. Wraith noticed this.

"What's **your** problem?" He asked.

"Nothing." She sneered.

"I beg to differ." Grail stated.

"What are you goin on about?" Aegis queried.

"As I said: It is a matter that requires the Queen's presence."

Before long, Elenar walked through the southernmost door of the chamber, passing by Albanion and coming to a stop just across from Nerona.

"Good evening, everyone." She said warmly.

"Greetings, your majesty." Rose, Lilith and Elza said in unison.

"I'm sorry I couldn't appear sooner." The Queen stated. "I'm still getting used to this Fortress."

"No need to apologize to us, milady." Aegis stated.

"Well, now that Lady Elenar has arrived," Albanion began, "The floor is open for Grail. What is the matter that you believe must be brought to light?"

Nerona glared at Grail once again as the large dragon cleared his throat.

"You majesty, there is something that has come to my attention that you must be informed of."

"What is it, Grail?" The Queen asked.

"Some time ago, just a few days after Warfang was taken over, there came an evening when Bane retired to his bedchamber."

"Is that it?" Wraith queried. "What's the big deal?"

"Well, it should so happen that Nerona followed him into his chamber." The Fauna dragon stated. "And after this, she attempted to seduce him."

In an instant, tension replaced the calmness of the room. Several of the other Deep Shadows gasped in surprise.

"What?" Elenar asked, the news hitting her like a brick to the head.

"You SLIME!" Elza roared. "How dare you dosuch a thing!"

"'How Dare I'?" Nerona repeated, enraged. "You have NO CLUE what I was attempting!"

"Then what was it, then?" The Wind dragoness demanded.

"It's none of your business, Elza!" The Dark Grey Deep Shadow snapped.

"You filthy TRAITOR!"

"I am NOT a traitor!"

"Elza, Nerona, Stop this arguing." Elenar begged.

When the two dragoness didn't cease, Albanion was next to speak.

"SILENCE!" The Flora dragon commanded. "The Queen demands it!"

Immediately, the two female Deep Shadows stopped shouting. However, they continued to glare at each other with hatred.

"Now then..." Elenar began. "Would you care to explain your side of the tale, Nerona?"

The other Pain dragoness sneered at Grail, then at Elza, and then sighed.

"Lord Bane was planning to commit suicide." She began.

Rose, Wraith and Lilith gasped.

"Did you three not know?" Albanion asked.

"What would drive him to consider such a fate for himself?" The Sound dragoness queried.

"His depression over your death had grown greater and greater over all these years." Nerona continued. "It was a self-inflicted pain that I couldn't bear to see him suffer."

"Nor could any of us, I'm sure." Albanion added.

"When I went to Bane that night, I believed that It would be best if I offered him my paw in marriage. I felt that, if he had another dragoness by his side, the void in his life would be filled, and his thoughts of self-murder would vanish."

"So, you believed that you would make a suitable replacement for our Queen?" Aegis queried.

"Must you word it to sound much worse than it really is?" Nerona hissed.

"My apologies." The Dark Brown dragon replied. "I was just-"

"There's no need to apologize to her." Elza sneered. "You treasonous slime."

"Treasonous?" The Deep Shadow exclaimed. "I only wanted what was best, for both our King, and our People! How was I supposed to know that Lady Elenar would be revived?"

"Were you unaware of Prince Cyrus's quest?" The Wind dragoness stated.

"Of course I was!" The Pain Deep Shadow snapped. "But how was I to know he would succeed? I believed that Bane needed a new mate to help him accept the loss of his first one, so I offered up myself! As a Deep Shadow, my Duty is to preserve the health of all members of the Royal family, Mental health included. Why is that such a crime?"

Elza looked towards Elenar.

"What do **you** think of this, your Majesty?"

The Queen sighed. She looked towards Albanion.

"Are their any other matters that need to be attended to after this?" She asked.

"None that I can think of, Milady." He replied.

"Then in that case, I want all of you, except for Nerona, to leave The Crux. I wish to speak her alone."

"As you wish, your Majesty." The Deep Shadows said in unison.

The seven other Dark dragons turned around to walk out of their respective doors, Elza shooting a Death glare at Nerona, who reciprocated the action.

Once the two Pain dragonesses were alone, Elenar walked forewards.

"Nerona.." She began, a sullen expression on her face, "...Why would you do this?"

The shorter dragoness sneered.

"Was I not clear?" She snapped. "I only wanted Bane to be himself again. Had I but known that you would soon be alive again, I never would have seeked his paw, because he would have you to fill the void in his life again."

The Queen frowned, and looked away.

"Is that your cover story?" She asked.

"Excuse me?" Nerona demanded. "What do you think I'm trying to hide."

"... I know you well, Nerona." The taller dragoness stated solemnly. "You mad a motif behind trying to become Bane's new wife."

Nerona flinched.

_Has she found out?_, she thought.

"What motif do you think that would be?" The shorter Pain dragoness queried.

Elenar sighed.

"...You wanted power again." She said calmly. "You wished to become a Queen, just as you always desired."

Nerona growled lowly in her throat.

"So what if I did?" She stated. "It's not as if I was trying to steal it."

Elenar frowned.

"Why do you seek vengeance against_ me_?" She asked. "I'm not the one who did wrong to you all that time ago."

"It wasn't vengeance I sought." Nerona stated. "I saw a golden opportunity, and I attempted to pursue it. I had no clue that you would be revived, especially not so soon after I tried to have Bane."

The Queen frowned.

"Did you succeed?" She ask.

"Of course not." The Deep Shadow replied. "Bane rejected me, as he did all the other women who have tried to become his mate in the past five years."

"That's not what I meant." Elenar stated. "Did you convince him to take you to his bed that night?"

Nerona rolled her eyes.

"Certainly not." She stated. "And even if he did, nothing could have come of it. It was much too late by that time."

Elenar became confused.

"What do you mean?"

The Deep Shadow sat down on her feet, slumped to her side, and exposed her underside to the Queen.

"Place a paw upon my belly."

Her interest piqued, Elenar reached out and felt Nerona's belly. She was surprised to find a small, hard bulge hiding just under her flesh.

"Why, you're pregnant!" The Queen declared.

"Yes." The Deep Shadow stated. "My egg shall be fully developed very shortly."

"This is wonderful!" Elenar stated, smiling. "Tell me: Who is the father?"

Nerona grinned.

"An old friend." She said triumphantly.

"Hmm?"

The Deep Shadow stood up as high as she could and whispered into The Queen's earhole. When she heard the answer, she gasped.

"Him?" Elenar asked, somewhat horrified.

"Correct." Nerona stated.

"But, why? You two don't seem like the type to get together. Or, did he...?"

"A whle back, we had gotten into a matter on Goods and Services." The Deep Shadow answered. "One of us required a type of Good, the other required a type of Service. During the debate, we couldn't help but enjoy a night of pleasure."

The shorter dragoness stepped backwards a bit.

"Now, you won't go tell everyone about the babe sleeping inside me, will you?" She stated.

"Uh..."

"You certainly wouldn't want **me** telling everyone **your** secret out of vengeance."

Elenar sighed.

"I am actually planning to speak to Him as soon as I can." She stated. "But I am more than willing to do as you ask: Your secret is safe with me, Nerona."

The Deep Shadow smiled

"Thank you, Elenar."

"Considering how you know him so well..." The Queen continued. "There is a small task that I have for you."


	32. Act 3, Chapter 10

Act 3, Chapter 10

Two months had passed since the defeat of Malefor.

Spyro and Cynder made sure that no one else would ever know that Rune and Cyrus were the ones to resurrect Malefor. The Remains of Mount Erebus became sealed off with a Magical Barrier, so that only people with permission from the Royal family of the Dark Dragon Monarchy may enter. Bane was given a proper funeral, and honored as a hero.

The service was held in The Nexus's chapel. Most of the Dark dragons of Warfang attended it. The service was conducted by Urobos, who had recently been made a dragon Elder, alongside Argos and Icarox. Several Artisans constructed a statue of Bane wielding his sword, which was placed alongside the statue of Cynder in the back of the Chapel. Bane was given the title, "The True Dark Master", and his sword was handed over to Rune.

Spyro and Cynder, their mission now over, returned to the Underworld. The dragons who had met them first hand swore to keep their brief period in the Living world a secret.

Rune returned to Glenhaven with his foster parents. When he arrived, Telus, Krystallos and Attonita were more than happy to have one of their best pupils back. Even though Telus had to get used to the fact that Rune was a Black dragon, the Earth Elder had no problem with Rune spending part of the year in Glenhaven and another part of the year in Warfang.

Hontus, Jules and Voden resumed their jobs as Guardians of the Glenhaven Palace. Blank, Emerald and Nellie were grounded for an entire month for running away, although the latter was only grounded for two weeks, since she had come close to death. She and Rune kept things secret between them for a while, until they were ready to tell the others.

The hatchlings and cubs that were placed in a magical slumber were finally all awoken. The children that had parents were returned to them, while the ones who lost their parents were adopted by dragons who had no children of their own. The same went for the eggs that were in the bottommost part of the Dragon Temple. They would be all be raised as Dark dragons, although they weren't left ignorant of the existence of Light dragons. They decided to use The Nexus as the school grounds for these transformed dragons, with Aegis and Lilith being assigned the task of teaching them how to cope with their new forms.

The five members of the Deep Shadows who left to find Prince Cyrus returned to their original posts. Albanion resumed as leader of the group. Wraith returned to being Prince Cyrus's Magic tutor, and decided include Rune as his student from then on as well. Elza was made Elenar's personal bodyguard. Nerona was left off the hook for attempting to become Bane's new mate when he was alive, much to Elza's chagrin.

...

With it now blatantly obvious that the Dark dragon race stille existed, Elenar decided that it would be best to try and make piece with the Light dragons of the world. So, she sent messengers, undisguised, to each and every Major city and settlement across the Dragon Realms, bearing invitations to the leaders of each one to come to Warfang.

When the date came for the council to commense, leaders of most of the cities and settlements came to Warfang, unsure of what to expect. Among them were the three Elders of Glenhaven. Rune had gone to the council as well, as per a request form his mother.

The Warfang Coliseum had been filled to the brim with spectators, all from different regions, who were to bear witness the the first Council held in twenty years.

Various Silver cushions were arranged in a ring in the center of he Coliseum floor. Elenar sat in a large one near the northern entrance to the stadium, while Rune and Cyrus sat in smaller ones on either side of her. Urobos sat to the left of the other three: Because of his previous status as a King, and his current status as an Elder, he was more than welcome to attend.

Across from Elenar sat Telus, Krystallos, and Attonita, who waited patiently for the Council to begin as the other Leaders took their seats. One such Leader was Sarah, ruler of the Fratured Hills settlements. The Pink dragoness smiled warmly when she saw Elenar.

"Why, hello, there." She said happily. "It's been far too long, Elenar."

"The feeling is mutual, Sarah." The Pain dragoness replied.

As the two adult dragonesses were talking, a smaller, cub-sized dragoness peered nervously around her mother and looked at the two Black dragons.

Rune gasped.

"It's you!" He exclaimed in unison, startling the adult dragonesses.

"Who're you?" Ember demanded.

"You don't remember me?" The Black dagon asked. "It's me: Rune! The boy who saved you from those monsters."

"Uh..." The young dragoness stammered.

"Here; I'll show you..."

Rune created a Shroud of Darkness and put on his original disguise. Ember gasped.

"You're that boy?" She stated incredulously. "I didn't know you were a Black dragon."

"What's wrong, dear?" Sarah asked, concerned.

"This is the boy who saved me, Mom!" The cub stated, pointing a talon at Rune.

"_He_ is who you were talking about, dear?"

"What is she speaking of, Rune?" Elenar queried.

"You remember when I was fleeing from Glenhaven?" He stated.

"I suppose. Why?"

The young dragon explained how he had seen Ember getting chased by several Crepsculi, and went off to save her from them.

The adult dragoness smiled.

"Well, aren't you quite the little hero." Sarah commented.

"Uh, thanks.." Rune blushed.

Urobos and Elenar chuckled, and the young dragon removed his disguise. After a few more pleasentries, Sarah and Ember walked off to take their seats.

The next Leader to walk in was the ruler of the Aechos Valley, a Water dragoness who was called Madam Nymph.

When Rune saw her, he nearly gasped.

At first glance, Nymph seemed identical in appearance to Seraph. However, some differences were quite obvious. Unlike Seraph, Nymph had a beak-like snout and her mane was worn in a short bunn atop her head, revealing a small, Tear drop-shaped Glyph by her left horn. Nymph was also significantly older in appearance, and was dressed in an elegant, Royal Blue gown, which was decorated in an Emerald-green, hexagonal pattern. Various silver bands decorated her forelegs, and she wore an intricate Pendant around her neck.

As Nymph walked by Elenar and her sons, the Pain dragoness tried speaking to her.

"Um, hello, Ma'am." She said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

The Water dragoness just glanced at Elenar, and inspected her for a brief moment.

"Yes, yes, charmed." She stated blankly. "I do hope this council doesn't last too long: I have work that needs attending to."

"Would you happen to be related to a dragoness named Seraph?" Rune asked.

Madam Nymph seemed to flinch at the mention of the name.

"How do you...?" The Water dragoness looked at Rune closely, and then harrumphed.

"You must be that boy whom Hontus and Seraph adopted." She said blankly."You look an aweful lot like how they described him. Rune, was it?"

"Uh, yes, ma'am."

"Of course."

Madam Nymph turned and continued walking off.

"What was **that** all about?" Cyrus asked.

"Beats me." Rune answered. "Maybe I'll ask Seraph when I get back to Glenhaven."

As more of the Leaders walked in, another one of interest was an Earth dragon named Saul, the Ex-prince of Clan Virgo, and current Commander-in-Chief of the city of Aeroshard.

As the Commander walked past Elenar and her family, he had one look at the Black dragons, sneered, and continued walking, taking his place on a Cushion a short distance away. The Queen tried to get his attention, but he intentionally ignored looking at her.

Eventually, once almost all of the leaders had taken their seats, there was one dragon in particular whom Elenar was waiting for. However, he had yet to arrive.

"Where could he be?" She wondered out loud.

"Who, Mom?" Cyrus asked. Elenar glanced at both of her sons in turn.

"Rune, Cyrus, there's a certain man whom I'm... aquainted with, that I'd like you to meet. And if we're lucky..."

"Hey, is _that_ him?" Rune asked, pointing a talon.

"Hmm?"

Elenar turned to look at the southern entrance.

A large Fire dragon was walking into the Coliseum to join the other Leaders.

The dragon had a Fiery Red hide and a Bright Orange underbelly. He was in his late thirties, and was of moderate build and height. He had Dark, almost completely Black eyes, and four Yellow horns that curled backwards on his head. His Orange mane was pulled back in a thick braid, and he had a short Orange beard upon hs chin.

The dragon wore a thick, Brown Noble's Cloak over his hide, which had an intricate pattern of Silver threads woven into the edges. He had pair of well-woven, cloth Gloves over his forepaws, which stopped just after his ankles. A pair of silver rings was worn on each of his four horns, all of which had a small Topaz jewel embedded into its side.

The dragon came to a stop before Elenar and bowed.

"It is truly an honor to finally meet your in person, Lady Elenar." He stated.

"Who are you?" She questioned.

"My name is Flamaedelus-Anthony, the Third." He declared, "I am the Vice President of the Faeshrine Trading Company, and the Second-in-Command of the city itself."

"Um, it is pleasant to meet you as well, sir." Elenar replied awkwardly. "If you pardon my asking, where is-?"

"Do to a certain matter that was vitally important," The Fire dragon stated, "The President of the FTC was unable to arrive. So, as the next-to-highest authority figure, I was sent in his place. I have been given emergency powers by my President to agree or disagree with any decisions made at this council."

"I see..." The Queen stated solemnly.

"The President of the FTC sends his regards, if that makes up for his not being able to attend."

"Thank you, Sir."

Flamaedelus lightly kissed Elenar's left forpaw, and continued on to take his place among the Leaders. The Pain dragones sighed.

"I really wish he had been able to arrive..." She stated solemnly.

"Are you okay, my dear?" Urobos asked, concerned.

Elenar shoook her head.

"I am fine." She stated.

The dragoness stood up from her seat, and approached the center of the circle of Cushions.

Every other being in the Coliceum quieted down and paid her their full attention.

"I want to thank you all for coming." She began.

"For hundreds of years, the Twelve dragon Clans existed in harmony and prosperity. We had two dragons to thank for our time of peace: The Purple dragon Spyro, and the Black dragoness Cynder. Were it not for the their great deeds, none of us would exist today.

"Twenty years ago, the generation that preceded us made a grave mistake. Despite the efforts of myself and my late husband, King Bane, a petty quarrel between two of the Clans erupted into a full-fledged war, which lasted eight long years. When it finally ended, the Dark dragon race was left nearly extinct. And they might have become so, were it not for the actions of Bane and myself.

"We created a floating city called The Hive, where the Dark dragons of the world had a safe haven. Our people had one goal: to survive. We disguised ourselves and occasionally walked among you, gathering the supplies we needed to keep our society running.

"Despite our peaceful new way of life, there were a group of Light dragons who sought to destroy every last Dark dragon alive. They called themselves the Darkstalkers. And through an unfortunate turn of events, beyond our control, the Darkstalkers found The Hive, and destroyed it. My people managed to slay them, but it was a Hollow victory, for we lost our home in the process.

"Bane was stricken with grief by this event, and his heart turned to vengeance. After five years of waiting, he began a plan to eliminate the Light dragon race. He nearly succeeded. However, others of our race, whose souls were not filled with hate, managed to convince him to stop his plans before they were finished. And when the horrible beast known as Malefor returned to life and nearly destroyed this city, Bane gave his own life to stop him.

"Dragons of both Light and Darkness have allowed hate to fuel their actions. And the actions they made have lead only to more pain. This is not what Spyro and Cynder would want. Instead of killing each other, we should be united together. I cannot promise that the checkered history that our two races have had will be forgotten. I can only say that the mistakes of those who came before us will go unrepeated."

For a moment, nobody said a word after Elenar finished speaking. And then, a single voice broke the silence.

"What a load of Bullshit!"

Commander Saul was the one to shout. Everyone in the stadium began murmuring.

"Is there a problem, Saul?" Elenar asked, becoming worried.

"You think you can just stand there acting like we can all just join together so easilly?" He snarled. "You and your kind don't deserve any compassion or friendliness! I would hang myself before becoming allied with the likes of **you**!"

The crowd started murmuring even more. Rune and Cyrus becaome nervous

"This _can't _be good," Cyrus whispered.

Elenar was about to say something, but Urobos interjected.

"If you would rather die than be our allies," He stated, "Why do you grace us with your presence."

The Commanded stood up on his feet.

"Because I have come to declare a VENDETTA!" He roared.

"What?"

Saul pointed an accusing talon at Elenar.

"Your husband, the _Demon_ named Bane, murdered my Father-in-Law, The Elder Richteriel of Warfang, as well as the other Elders, and all of their relatives living in this city!" He declared.

"Well, I'm sorry..." The Pain dragoness said worriedly. "I know it must've been a terrible loss for your family, but-"

"I refuse to allow this act of Regicide to go unpunished!" The Earth dragon roared. "If you and the rest of the _Dark Bastards _do not admit your guilt of this crime, then I shall Declare War!"

Elenar gasped.

"No!" She shouted. "Not another war!"

"You heard me well enough!" The Commanded snapped. "I will give you and your kind an entirty of two weeks to surrender yourselves and this entire city to Myself and Aeroshard. If you do not comply, I will have my forces storm up to your city and wipe you from the face of the Dragon realms, and take Warfang by force! This city was not meant to be controlled by the likes of you. What do you say, She-beast?"

Those words stunned Elenar. The other Leaders looked amongst themselves, while Urobos and the two young dragons glared in anger at Saul.

The next person to speak was Telus.

"If you declare War on Warfang," He said coldly, "you will also have to declare War on any of their allies."

"What are you saying, Telus?" Saul asked, concerned.

"I will not stand idly by and allow you to attack the Dark dragon race." He stated. "I will have my people defend Warfang with their lives."

The Commander seemed dumbstruck by the Earth Elder's words.

"Have you gone senile?" He shouted. "How could YOU of all dragons say such things?"

"I will not lie: I myself am still getting used to this idea of allying with Dark dragons." Telus stated.

"However, in the past five years, I have seen the young dragon named Rune grow up to be an incredible, good-hearted young boy. I was surprised to learn that he was the Prince of the Dark dragons, and equally amazed that he was forced through such hardships in his early years. And then there's the fact that he went through great lengths to bring back his mother from the afterlife.

"Rune is one of my best pupils. If one Dark dragon can prove to be an exception to my original beliefs on the subrace, than it's possible that many more exceptions will come as well. I will not allow you to come along and stamp out Rune's people, Saul."

"Neither will we." Krystallos and Attonita added.

"What?" The Commander exclaimed. He turned and looked towards Sarah and Emberella.

"What about you, Sarah?" Saul asked. "Bane sent many Crepsculi to the Fractured Hills in an attempt to wipe you all out!"

"The being Malefor had sent Crepsculi to the Fractured Hills as well." The adult Memory dragoness replied. "It's possible that more of them were from the Evil one, than Bane. And besides, during most of the Week-long Eclypse, the Dark dragons came and exterminated the beasts during my people's time of great need. We are indebted to them."

"No you aren't!" Saul argued. "They are the ones who sent the monsters to kill you in the first place! You owe them NOTHING!"

"There is also the matter of my daughter." Sarah added. "When Emberella was nearly killed by several of the Crepsculi, a young Purple dragon came to her rescue, saving her life. I have recently found out that the dragon was actually Prince Rune in disguise."

"That must've been a lie!" The Commader stated angrilly.

"Nu-uh!" Ember protested. "I remember that day clear as crystal! Memory dragons never forget, and they never lie either, because their parents get mad when they do. Mom says so."

"As you can see, Saul, I owe young Rune a great deal." Sarah declared. "I wouldn't betray him by allowing harm to come to him, his family, or any other member of the Dark Dragon Monarchy."

Saul scowled, and then turned towards Madam Nymph.

"Surely YOU couldn't possibly wish to defend the Dark Bastards either, Nymph!" He exclaimed.

"Well, it all depends..." The Water dragoness replied. "Personally, I don't care either way. However, I believe that Rune is my sister's foster son. If I try to do anything that would put him in harm's way, she would surely try to wring my neck. I'd rather not put myself in danger of another family feud by declaring war on Warfang, so count me and my people out, Saul."

The Earth dragon cursed. He turned towards Flamaedelus-Anthony.

"Anthony, your company and my city have been close allies for the last fifteen years." He declared. "You simply MUST share the same opinions as I."

The Fire dragon sighed.

"I believe that my President and Lady Elenar have a certain... _acquaintanceship _with one another, which would make taking up arms against her and her people quite hypocritical." Flamaedelus said swiftly. "So, no. I don't share the same opinions as you."

The Commander was flabergasted.

"And for the record, there is something that I must point out." The Fire dragon added.

"What would that be?" Telus queried.

"The young dragon Rune, as well as his brother Cyrus and grandfather Urobos, are all the great descendants of Lord Spyro and The Great Shadow, the two great heroes responcible for our Age." Anthony began.

"Urobos may be well beyond his years, but Rune and Cyrus are the current generation of, in my opinion, the Noblest of all Nobles. Because the Twelve Clans of Old are all but gone, I believe that there will one day come a time when we should all bow our heads in aliegance towards the two Black dragons, for they are the most fitting to rule over the entirety of the Dragon Race. It is in their blood."

The other Leaders were amazed by what the Fire dragon had said.

"You can't be serious!" Saul shouted.

"I am most serious." Flamaedelus stated adamantly.

Urobos chuckled.

"I'm not sure if my grandsons should ever take power over **all** of the Dragon Realms." He stated. "However, for all extents and purposes, Warfang _does_ belong to my bloodline. Some time after the founding of the Clans, Warfang was given to Lord Spyro for him to rule over. And even though his Black dragon descendants took rule over the Floating Plains, they still had a say in the matter over everything that happened in the city of Commerce, since the dragons of Clan Cancer were completely devoted to preserving Spyro's legacy."

"That is correct." Sarah agreed. "Furthermore, when the Twilight War ravaged the land, the Darkstalkers ended up taking Warfang as their own, almost by force."

Saul sneered.

"Warfang was made the property of Richteriel and the other EARTH dragons who fought in the war." The Commander shot Telus a quick glare. "It was never officially announced as the city of the 'Darkstalkers'."

"You know something else?" Urobos declared. "One could make the arguement that **Aeroshard** is the property of my bloodline as well."

"WHAT?" Saul snarled.

"For hundreds of years, the dragons of Clan Aquarius maintianed the entire city as a shrine honoring The Great Shadow's name, and all of her descendants. Even though the Wind dragons eventually had to leave the city, the dragons of Clan Libra left the shrines untouched, out or respect. Of course, when the Darkstalkers took the city as their own after the Twilight War, they had the nerve to **vandalize** all of the shrines. I'm pretty sure your father Gaius had a paw in this."

The Commander growled lowly in his throat.

"So what if he did?" He stated. "Each of those shrines were based on pure fiction. The Great Shadow does not exist, and you are clearly out of your mind for praying to an invisible dragoness in the dirt."

Urobos sneered.

"After all I've been through, and my daughter-in-law as well," He responded, anger in his voice, "I find that statement to be the most offensive and disgusting declaration I've heard in my enitre life."

"Say what you will, you debilitated old crone." Saul snapped. "I will DIE before handing you Aeroshard, nor will I allow you to live in Warfang."

"Then perhaps you _should_ die." Telus exclaimed.

The Commander was surprised by what the Earth Elder just said, as were the other leaders and the spectators.

"How dare you?" Saul roared.

"How dare _I_?" Telus repeated, enraged. "You are a disgrace, Saul. You are the only one hear whose being is still fueled by hate. Lady Elenar has apologized for the death of Richteriel, but quite frankly, that monster doesn't even deserve acknowledgement, nor does your father. And as for you? You don't deserve to be a Monarch, or even the owner of Aeroshard. If I had my say, you would be stripped of your power, and forced to live the life of a pauper til the end of your days."

The Commander growled.

"If you think you can take my birthright.." He snarled. "Then I shall declare war on Glenhaven AND Warfang!"

Saraph stood up on her feet in anger.

"Then the Fractured Hills will fight in their defense!" She snapped.

"As will the Aechos Valley," Nymph added, "If only to honor my sister."

Saul looked around dumbstruck as several of the other Leaders started voicing their willingness to defend the Dark Dragon Monarchy, his expression changed to one of alarm.

"You couldn't possibly succeed in a war against the entire rest of the world, Saul." Urobos stated. "If you try, you will fail in under a month."

"Damn you..." He sneered.

"Saul, please..." Elenar pleaded. "I only wish for our two races to be united as one, as they should have been long ago. I don't want to fight you, nor do I wish to take Aeroshard from you. Can we not put the past behind us?"

The Commanders gaze flared with anger. He turned to leave the Coliseum.

"I refuse to ally my city with monsters." He spat. "You may have evadedretribution _today_, Elenar, but mark my words: I will have my revenge soon enough."

And with that said, the Earth dragon and proceeded to walk out of the arena, the other Leaders watching him leave.

"This won't do at all." Elenar stated solemnly. "I had wished to unite us **all**."

"Do not concern yourself with the likes of him." Telus replied. "Saul has always been trouble, even among our family."

"You're related to him?" Rune asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." The Earth Elder answered. "He is merely a distant relative of mine, but I've had the misfortune of watching him grow from a boy into a man, if you can call him that. I'm afraid that I had a paw in the way he's turned out."

"How so?" Saraph queried.

"During the Twilight War, I still shared the same opinions as Gaius and Richteriel. In that time period, Saul looked up to the way the three of us, and that resulted in him sharing our animosity towards the Dark dragons."

"I see..." Urobos stated.

"I was never as blinded by fury or bloodlust as the King of Clan Virgo or his General, which is why I never became a Darkstalker. However, I still had my share of disdain, for a large number of Dark dragons had brought ruin to a few villages in the Mountains of Kilon."

"They must have been dragons of Clan Aquarius." Madam Nymph theorized. "That's the clan that's always lived closest to that region."

"In any case, I was left with the impression that Dark dragons needed to be stopped so that the war would cease." The Earth Elder continued. "But I never sought the Dark dragons' extermination. Unfortunately, Saul **did** desire their extermination, and was enthralled when he learned that the Dark dragons had all vanished. So, I must apologize for that insufferable behavior."

"You are not the one who has done wrong, Elder Telus." Urobos replied. "Saul will need to learn some humility, and penance, in the near future."

"Can we not move on to the original matter at hand?" Flamaedelus asked. "Are we not all here to unite our two races as one?"

The Leaders looked amongst themselves once again. Then, Sarah spoke up again.

"We are not two separate races." She said. "We are a single race. We are all dragons."

Then, another Leader said the same thing.

"We are all dragons."

One by one, the many Leaders agreed, including the Elders of Glenhaven.

"We are all dragons."

"We are all dragons."

"We are all dragons."

Urobos said the same thing, smiling.

"We are all dragons."

Elenar smiled as well, and got up onto her feet.

"Well then, from this day forward, let it be known by all that the annual Council of the Monarchs shall be reinstated. The Unity of the dragon race shall be restored."

The other leaders voiced their approval. All of the Light dragons shook Elenar's paw, welcoming her as one of them. The crowd behind them applauded uproariously.

Even Rune smiled. His days of hiding who he was had come to an end. He was Prince Rune once more.

Little did anyone realize that, far at the back of the arena, Saul was standing just behind a corner. He was looking into the coliseum, and glaring directly at Rune and Cyrus.

"Lord Spyro as my witness," The Commander whispered, "I'll wipe you two from the Dragon Realms before you plague themwith more of abominations Black-hided abominations."

After this, Saul turned around left the Coliseum.

...

Some time later, Rune had gone back to his home in Glenhaven. After winter's end, he would return to his new home in Warfang.

It was almost midnight. Rune was in his chamber. He couldn't sleep, so he decided to look out his window. Just like always, the Palace of the Elders stood far off in the center of Glenhaven. But Rune wasn't looking at the Palace. No, he was watching the twin moons hanging in the night sky. He had seen the same thing many times before. But then, he did it to relieve himself of his worries.

But now, his fears were gone. He had no secrets to hide anymore. The Light dragons accepted him. The Dark dragons saw him as their prince again, as well as the son of a great hero. He had gotten his Family back. Most important of all, he had confessed his affections to Nellie.

_Everything is finally going right for me,_ he thought to himself. _Thank you, Cynder._

Rune continued to watch the Moons, a smile on his face.

For a time, he just stood there, completely content. But soon, he heard something: A low chuckle.

"Huh?" Rune asked, alarmed. "Who's there?"

The chuckling grew louder. The Black dragon got on his guard.

And then, he heard a voice speak to him from inside his mind. It was his own voice.

_**So, you're finally done being a sad little coward. **_He heard himself say. _**It's about time, really.**_

Rune gasped. It was his other self: The being that Malefor created.

Runefor.

"YOU!" He exclaimed.

_**No need to be so loud, idiot: You might wake up Nellie.**_

"How can this be?" The Black dragon demanded.

_**Did you really think I was destroyed?**_ The other dragon asked. _**We share the same body, and the same soul too. When Malefor was drained from you, I stayed behind. I was left weakoned for a time, but I've just recently grown strong enough to maintain my indepence.**_

"What.. What do you want?" Rune asked.

_**At the moment, nothing much. It looks like our lives will be perfectly fine on their own for the time being. However...**_

The Black dragon got nervous.

"What?"

_**I've got plans, Rune. **_The other dragon stated._** Big ones. It may take a long time for me to acomplish them, but I WILL pull them off.**_

"What are you planning to do?"

_**You'll see, Rune. You'll see.**_

And with that, Runefor stopped talking and vanished from Rune's mind. It was as if he was never even there in the first place.

Rune became nervous.

"What was that?" He asked himself

The young dragon shook his head.

"It…it must've been my imagination."

After a moment, Rune decided he needed to get some sleep. He lied back down on his bed of straw, and slipped away into slumber.

His life was going to be different from now on.

**Characters of The Legend or Rune: Rising Fears…**

**Video Game Characters:**

**Spyro**

**Cynder (The Great Shadow)**

**Ember**

**Ignitus**

**Malefor ("The Chronicler")**

**Original Characters:**

**Rune**

**Glenhaven gang: Nellie, Blankridge (Blank), Emerald, Roxanne**

**Seraph**

**Seamus**

**Glenhaven Guardians: Hontus, Seraph, Voden, Mimet, Jules.**

**Glenhaven Elders: Telus, Krystallos, Attonita**

**Cyrus**

**Tina**

**Fractured Hills Denizens: Sarah, Graham, The Magician, Magician's Daughter**

**Deep Shadows: Albanion, Elza, Aegis, Wraith, Lilith, Nerona, Grail, Rose**

**Darkstalkers: Apellion, Odyn, Poseidun, Richteriel**

**Dark Dragon Elders: Argos, Icarox**

**Bane**

**Urobos (Old Man)**

**Aeroshard Ruling Family: Saul, Olivia, Johnathan**

**Elenar**

**Runefor**

The story has come to an end.

Or has it?


	33. Epilogue

Epilogue

Some time prior to the New Council.

Faeshrine. The Dragon City of Magic.

Faeshrine sat within the Tarune Forest. The Forest was home to many strange and mysterious species. This Forest is also the place the Dragonflies call home. The dragonflies are the most useful companions the Dragons of the forest have, since dragonflies are the only other species that can use the same kinds of Magic as dragons. The South side of Faeshrine was exposed to the Central Ocean, and had a massive port built along it, so that goods could arrive via seafaring vessels.

The city itself was composed of separate layers. The lowest layer, which was composed of buildings built directly on the ground, was the main home of Moles, Cats, and other species that can't fly. The upper layers were composed of buildings built atop various floating platforms, which were kept aloft via a combination of Space magic, and ancient Ape technology. These layers were used mainly by the Dragons and Dragonflies, although some of the platforms would occasionally come to a landing on the ground, for various reasons.

As the sun began to set, Nerona flew towards the largest building in the city of Faeshrine: The Headquarters of the Faeshrine Trading Company. The FTC is a political force that regulates the trading of goods and supplies between cities and settlements all across the world. The senior owners of the FTC were able to purchase the entire city of Faeshrine to use as its base of operations, setting up their Headquarters within an old Temple. Despite being the largest building in Faeshrine, or perhaps because of it, the temple was built on the ground of the city. This enabled species of all kinds to work within the building.

Elenar had asked Nerona to travel to Faeshrine, so that she could deliver the Queen's message to the one person she had wished to see at the Council most of all: The President of the Trading Company.

As the Deep Shadow proceeded up the FTCHQ steps, he was stopped by a pair of guards: A Cheetah and a Tiger. A pair of Dragonflies was floating directly beside the Tiger.

"Halt!" The guards shouted. "What is your business here, dragon!"

Nerona took a moment to catch her breath. Despite being surrounded by an entire city's worth of Light dragons, the Dark Grey dragoness was completely calm and collected.

This wasn't the first time she had come to Faeshrine.

"I am Nerona, Deep Shadow of the city of Warfang." She declared. "I come bearing an important message to the leader of this city."

The two guards glanced amongst themselves, then the Tiger looked up at the Dragonflies.

"See if she is telling the truth." He said to them.

The two dragonflies, both Brown in color, floated to either side of the dragoness's head. Nerona became slightly uncomfortable: It had been a long time since she had seen Dragonflies, and she was not used to them.

The pair seemed to focus on the Deep Shadow's head for a moment, and then flew back to the Tiger.

"She speaks the truth." On of them, a female, said.

How could they tell that? They must have used the Memory element.

The two guards and dragonflies stepped back.

"You may enter." The Cheetah said. "But don't cause any trouble."

"Oh, do not worry." Nerona stated. "I won't."

The Pain dragoness walked past the guards and into the Temple.

The interior of the first room was huge. The White stone walls were decorated with portraits of Dragons and other creatures from ancient times, as well as the past five hundred years. The floors were completely covered in a fine red rug. Creatures of every race rushed left and right, each one apparently busy with one job or another.

The Dark Grey dragoness sighed.

_This building hasn't changed in the slightest._

Nerona approached a female Cheetah receptionist behind a desk on the other side of the room.

"Excuse me." The dragoness said.

The receptionist looked up at her, apparently surprised to see a Dark dragon.

"Can I help you?" The Cheetah asked.

"I have an urgent message from Queen Elenar of the city of Warfang." The dragoness answered. She pulled out a brown scroll from the sack at her side and showed it to the receptionist.

"I am to give this directly to the Leader of this city, or perhaps this company, I suppose."

"Well, the President of the FTC isn't currently here right now." The receptionist said. "He shall be arriving sometime within the next several hours."

"Is that so?" Nerona queried.

"Yes, Ma'am. If it is a decent alternative, I can have a servant deliver the scroll to the senior partners. They can hand him the scroll when he arrives."

"My orders are to deliver the scroll directly to your Leader." The pain dragoness stated. "No one else is to be trusted with it."

"If that is the case, you are going to have to stay here and wait for the President to arrive."

"That's acceptable." Nerona replied. "Is there any place where I can wait for him?"

"Of courese, Ma'am. I'll call someone to bring you to someplace where you may wait."

The receptionist hit a few buttons on a strange speaker-like device, and spoke into it.

"Flame, please report to the front receptionist's desk immediately."

After a while, a young dragon approached the receptionist's desk, roughly at the start of his teenage years.

He had a Bright Red hide and an Orange underbelly. His wing membranes and horns were yellow, the latter of which were sticking diagonally outwards just behind his eyes. His eyes were the same bright color as his hide, and wore a Brown pair of leather goggles over them. He had a vibrant Orange mane, which was tied in a short ponytail. Some of the mane hairs fell over his left eye. He was dressed in formal attire: A brown cloak fell over his wings and sides, and wore a few pieces of silver jewelry on his left forepaw..

The young dragon was followed by a small green Dragonfly, who must have been about the Red dragon's age.

"What is it, Jess?" The boy asked.

"Flame, I need you to take this woman to the nearest lobby on the upper floors." The Cheetah answered. "She has a scroll that she wishes to deliver directly to the President when he arrives.

"What does the scroll say?" Flame inquired.

"That's neither yours or my busisness." The receptionist turned back to the messenger.

"When you arrive at the lobby, you are expected to be patient, and keep the peace for yourself and everyone else who may be seeking an audience with the President."

"As you wish." Nerona stated.

The cheetah then turned back towards Flame and the dragonfly.

"Now, you two are to respect this woman, and be sure to answer any question she has that you are authorized to answer. Neither of you two are allowed to ask to read the contents of her scroll." The cheetah cocked an eyebrow. "Is that understood?"

These two must have been notorious troublemakers, by the looks of things.

"Yes, Ma'am." The Red dragon said.

"What about you, Arthur?" The cheetah asked the dragonfly.

"Yes, Ma'am." The dragonfly repeated.

"Alright, then. Off with you."

The two bowed and took off. The receptionist turned to the Messenger once again.

"I hope you enjoy your stay in the Faeshrine Trading Company's main building." She stated. "And I also hope we can conduct full business with little to no complications."

"Thank you." Nerona replied.

Flame and Arthur turned around and started walking towards one of the hallways.

"Follow us, please." Flame said to the dragoness.

"Of course."

Nerona followed after the two young ones, and the three of them headed for the lobby on the upper floor. She grinned as she walked.

_I wonder what he'll think when he reads the scroll._

...

It was the dead of night.

A great Ship with white sails came to a stop at the Faeshrine port. Several cheetahs and Moles got to work unloading cargo off of the ship. As they did this, two Purple dragons, an adult and his daughter, stepped off the ship and onto the docks, followed closely by a squadron of bodyguards.

The adult dragon had a Silver underbelly. He was dressed in fine cloth attire: A Black cape fell over his wings and sides, and was held together by three Silver chains. He wore special Black gloves on his forelegs, which went up from the paws all the way to the elbows. He had Blood Red eyes, with a Golden monocle on his left eye. He had three silver horns: The left and right horns like those of a ram, and a middle horn that pointed directly downwards. His Golden mane was cut short, and had several Silver bonds braided into it. A short beard grew from his chin, which was also wrapped in a Silver bond. A large, Golden bangle was worn around his great neck. A confident smirk was worn upon his face.

The man's daughter was dressed entirely in Black clothing. Her four legs were covered completely in black stockings, as was her tail. A thick black coat was worn over her torso, and had a hood attached, which had special pockets for her larger horns to fit through. A small side of the dragoness's cloak had a small tear in it, which had been patched up with a needle and thread.

The two Purple dragon and their entourage approached the FTC Headquarters.

They had just come back from a business trip to the Fractured Hills. During their stay, a great number of Black-hided monsters attacked the settlements, causing great distress for the locals. The adult dragon, disguised as a Magician, silently had his employees increase the prices of their goods, which had been protected from destruction by a group of Guardians from Glenhaven. Among these goods were various supplies that could be used to rebuild all damage done to the homes of the civilians. A huge profit was made, and the "Magician" managed to get his hands on a vast quantity of Gems and other precious stones for a fairly low price.

Everything had gone just as he had planned all along.

However, one thing happened that the Purple dragon did not expect. His daughter's cloak had been partially damaged in the attack. The "Magician" managed to get her out of public view in time before anyone could see what was under the cloak.

"You need to be more careful, dear." He scolded. "Who knows what would have happened if someone saw what you were hiding."

"I'm sorry, father." The girl replied solemnly. "I didn't mean for it to happen."

The Purple dragon sighed.

"It's alright, dear." He stated. "At least you weren't harmed too badly: I suppose you're finally getting the hang of your healing magic."

When the two dragons approached the front steps of their home, the FTCHQ, the guards stood down immediately and saluted them

"Good Evening, Mr. President!" The Cheetah said.

"How was your trip, sir?" The Tiger asked.

"Pleasant enough." The Purple adult said, never stopping.

He and his duaghter entered the building and walked across to the receptionist's desk, his bodyguards close behind. Jezebel, the cheetah receptionist, greeted him warmly.

"Welcome home, sir." She said. "And you as well, Milady."

"Hi..." The dragoness said halfheartedly

"Have my other children been doing well since I left?" The Adult asked.

"Why yes." The Cheetah replied. "They've missed you, though."

The Purple adult chuckled.

"I'll go check on them soon enough, then."

"I must say, you have incredible Timing , sir." Jezebell stated. "Just like you always do."

"Oh?" The dragon cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes. A few hours ago, a dragoness named Nerona arrived from Warfang with a scroll. She said it was from someone named 'Queen Elenar'."

The Purple dragon nearly jumped, as did his daughter.

"Elenar?" The young dragoness repeated, astonished.

"Are you sure that is what she said?" The adult added.

"I'm not sure, sir." Jezebel answered

"Where is the scroll?"

"I had Flame and Arthur escort the guest to a lobby on the upper floors. She has been awaiting your arrival, since she claims that she is to hand the scroll over to you _directly_."

"I see." The adult dragon turned to walk down a hallway. "I must meet with this 'Nerona' and have a look at this scroll. Come along, dear."

"Yes, father." The young dragoness stated.

"Have a good evening, Jezebel." The Purple adult quickly added afterwards.

"Likewise, sir."

...

The two Purple dragons walked down several hallways.

As they walked, the adult was thinking to himself.

_Nerona has arrived with a message from Elenar, eh? _He thought to himself, smirking. _This is bound to be an interesting read._

The two dragons came to a great double-doorway and pushed it open, walking inside.

The room they entered was the Main room of the building.

It was a grand room, much like a king's throne room. The ceiling was painted with a grand arrangement of various events from history. A giant ball of white Magical fire kept the room illuminated. The walls were decorated with fine ornaments. The floor was covered completely in a fine Golden rug. On the other end of the room was a great Golden cushion, placed before a finely crafter Mahogany desk. Crowded around the desk were the senior partners of the Faeshrine Trading Company.

Each member held a large amount of wealth and power in the company, and the Purple dragon was their leader. He was the one who kept them from trying to kill each other for more power.

When the senior partners saw the Dragon enter, they greeted him.

"Welcome back, Bergan." A Red dragon, named Flamaedelus-Anthony, said to him.

Flamaedelus-Anthony was the Vice President of the Faeshrine Trading Company. He was the one left in charge whenever the Bergan left on business trips.

"Jezebel told me that a messenger from Warfang has arrived with a scroll for me." Bergan responded. "Where are they?"

"We shall send for her to arrive immediately." A Tigress named Melody answered. She looked over to the side of the desk. A small Red dragon and a Green dragonfly were waiting patiently, not saying a word.

"Flame, go bring the guest here at once." Melody commanded.

"Yes, Ma'am." The two boys said at once.

The two young ones walked forewards to leave the Main Room. As they passed by the Purple dragoness, Flame whispered to her.

"Welcome back."

The dragoness didn't say a word, which made the Red dragon frown.

A short while later, Flame and Arthur returned to the Main Room. They were being followed by a Dark Grey dragoness, dressed in even Darker Grey robes. She walked up to Bergan, who now sat behind his desk.

The young Purple dragoness seem concerned by the sight of the Dark dragoness.

"Greetings, Bergan." She said, bowing slightly. "I, the Deep Shadow Nerona, have arrived from Warfang, with an urgent message from the Queen."

"A message, you say?" The Purple dragon asked.

The Pain dragoness placed the scroll on the table, and then passed it across to Bergan. The Purple drago lifted it up, opened it, and proceeded to read its contents aloud to the group.

Most of woat the letter said appeared to be printed:

"_Greetings, Sir or Madam._" He began.

"_I am Queen Elenar, of the Dark Dragon race. My kind has recently come out of hiding, and through a long string of events, we have come to acquire the city of Warfang. But we do not wish to ignite the fires of hostility. Instead, I formally invite all the leaders of every dragon city and settlement to meet in the city of Warfang. I wish to have a peaceful negotiation with the dragons of Light._

"_Each ruler may bring with them as many representatives as they wish. If they also wish to bring their sons or daughters to attend, that is fine too. The Council will be held three weeks after the time of this writing. I gratefully await you in Warfang._

"_Queen Elenar._"

As Bergan read the scroll aloud, the other senior partners in the room proceeded to mumble amongst themselves. The Purple dragoness had a look of shock and alarm about her.

"The dragoness Elenar is alive?" She whispered, awestruck.

Without another word, the dragoness turned and fled from the room. Bergan watched this, and frowned.

"Should we go after her, sir?" Anthony asked.

"No need..." He stated. "Just give her time to think on this to herself."

Flame and Arthur had watched as the dragoness fled too. The young Red dragon sighed sadly.

Bergan looked down at the scroll again. He read the last part of it to himself, which was pawwritten.

_P.S._

_I truly hope we can put the past behind us, Bergan._

When when the Purple dragon finished reading the scroll, he rolled it up and put it away.

"Heh heh heh…" he chuckled.

"Sir?" One of the senior partners, another dragon, asked. Bergan set the scroll down on the desk, and burst out laughing.

"So, dear Elenar is alive." He said, smirking. "This is good news. Yes, very good news indeed…"

"The scroll says that you've been invited to Warfang to meet with other Dragon leaders for some sort of Council." Melody said. "Will you be going, sir?"

Bergan faced away from them, looking down at the scroll.

"No, I don't think I will. I simply have too much to do at the moment." He turned and glanced at the Fire dragon. "Anthony, you shall be going to Warfang in my stead."

"Understood, sir." He said swiftly.

"Now, then..." Bergan began again. "I wish for everyone else in this room besides myself and our guest to leave. I wish to speak with her, alone."

"As you wish, Mr. President."

In a short moment, all of the other senior partners, and well as the young dragon and his dragonfly companion, had left the chamber. This left Bergan and Nerona by themselves.

Once the Purple dragon was sure that the two dragons were alone, he got up from the desk and smiled.

"It's so nice of you to drop in again, Nerona." He said warmly. "I almost didn't recognize you without your old disguise.

The dragoness smiled back.

"It's nice to see **you** again as well, Bergan." She replied.

Bergan walked around the desk and approached the dragoness. He draped his wings over her side as she rose her neck up and placed her head underneath his chin.

"How did things fair in Warfang?" The Purple dragon asked, nuzzling Nerona.

"It's amazing." She stated, nuzzling back. "Everything came to be as you told me they would: Cyrus's flight to revive his mother, Bane's absolute victory, Elenar's return, Malefor's resurrection through Rune as a Giant White beast, Bane's martyrdom... EVERYTHING."

Bergan pulled away from the dragoness and chuckled.

"I make it my business to know what's going to happen, and plan accordingly."

Nerona repositioned herself so she was on her back before the Purple dragon.

"Would you like to feel your sleeping child?" She asked.

"Of course I would." Bergan replied.

The male dragon placed his paw on the dragoness's belly, feeling the hard lump that was her egg. He grinned with satisfaction.

"Perfect." He stated.

Bergan turned to walk towards the doors of the chamber.

"Care to take a walk with me, dear?" The Purple dragon asked.

The Dark Grey dragoness stood on her feet.

"Well, sure, Bergan..." She said awkwardly. "But where to?"

"To see my other children."

...

Bergan and Nerona walked down the various hallways of the FTCHQ.

The floors of the building were all covered in the same fine rug as Bergan's office. The walls were a bright White stone, some of which had large windows carved into them. Several potted plants were placed about for decoraction, and several of the walls had portraits of several Golden-hided dragons: various Kings of Clan Libra who lived across the years.

The two dragons eventually came to a stop at a pair of two large, metal doors that stood a short distance from each other.

"Hmm..." Bergan stated. "Most of them should be asleep right about now, so try not to be too loud."

The Purple dragon slowly opened the door on the left and peered inside.

The room he had entered was a large bedroom. The floor was covered in a fine cloth rug. The walls were Snow white, but one would be hard-pressed to tell that in the near-darkness. A large glass window ran across the farside of the room, letting in the soft blue Moonlight. Several shelves were lined across the walls of the room, covered in an assortment of toys.

Four small mattresses were lined up along the east and west sides of the room. Each mattress was made of silk, and had a small, sleeping dragon on it. All four were of various ages and colors.

The largest was a Gold-hided male, roughly four years old. The second largest was Red-hided female, about three-and-a-half years old. The last two were roughly the same size: A Blue-hided boy and a Pink-hided girl, both of whom were barely over two years old. All four of the children had a small, Red glyph in the shape of a Set of Scales on their left forepaw.

Bergan walked towards the center of the room and looked around at his four hatchlings, smiling.

"Aren't they adorable?" He asked Nerona.

"Yes, they are." The dragoness answered, looking around at them. "What are their names again?"

"The Time cub is Firion." Bergan began. "The Fire cub is Maria, the Water cub is Leon, and the Memory cub is Destine."

Nerona smirked.

"How are you able to take care of all these little ones when you're so busy all of the time?"

"Oh, I do the best I can." Bergan replied. "And when I'm not around, I have my nursemaids look after them."

The Purple dragon took a moment to give each of the sleeping children a quick hug, and then turned to walk out of the room."

"Now then, I believe that I need to pay my oldest child a visit."

Once Bergan's back was to her, Nerona sneered.

"Fine by me."

The two dragons walked out of the hatchlings' shared room, and approached the door on the right in the hallway. Bergan. He politely knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" The Purple dragoness's voice asked from the other side.

"It's your father." Bergan answered. "May I come in?"

"Yes, father." She answered. The adult Purple dragon then pushed the door open.

Bergan's daughter's room wasn't very big.

The floor had a fine red cloth rug. The walls were Mahogany brown. There was a yellow mattress on the right side of the room, near the door. A desk sat on the right wall, with various nick-knacks decorated on it. A window was on the far wall, next to a large portrait.

The Purple dragoness was standing by the window, looking out at the city. The young dragoness had a black blanket wrapped around her, hiding her form from view. She had taken off her assortment of Black clothing, and tossed it onto her desk.

Bergan approached his daugher, while Nerona closed the door behind herself and stood watch by it.

"Judging by your current behavior," The Purple male began. "You are both pleased and enraged by the contents of that scroll."

"The dragoness known as Elenar is alive." The young dragoness said. Bergan could detect the contempt in the girl's voice.

"Yes, she is."

"I want to go to Warfang to go after her." The Purple girl sneered.

"You are not ready, dear." Bergan scolded..

"Not ready?" The young dragoness turned to face her father, looking up at him with her Blood red eyes.

"But I've grown stronger, father! I can control my Magic just as well as Flame now!"

"Ah, but can you control Convexity yet?" Bergan inquired. His daughter glanced down.

"Well, no….." She said ashamedly.

Bergan put a forepaw on one of his daughter's shoulders.

"All good things come to those who wait, my dear. For now, wait until you have grown even stronger, and bigger. A dragoness your age couldn't possibly harm a dragoness of **Elenar's** strength, especially when you consider her mastery of the Pain Element."

Bergan's daughter turned back to the window. The Purple adult smiled.

"Don't worry. You'll have your revenge when you're old enough."

The dragoness didn't respond.

Bergan turned to walk out of her room. As he did, he quickly glanced back and said one last thing to his daughter.

"Goodnight, dear. Try to get some sleep at some point."

Bergan opened the door and proceeded to walk out of it. Nerona, in the meantime, stared at the young dragoness, animosity in her eyes.

_Monster..._

After this, the Deep Shadow turned and shut the door behind herself, leaving the young dragoness alone.

After having enough of looking out the window, the girl walked to the left to stare at the Portrait.

The Portrait was a duplicate of a larger one in Bergan's possession. It was an image of the last twelve heirs of the Twelve dragon clans. All of them were between 13 and 17 years of age. Six dragons of Light were in the back row, and six dragons of Darkness were in the front row. The teenaged form of Bergan, her father, stood in the center: the heir to the Libra throne. Right in front of him were a Black dragon, Bane, and a Dark grey dragoness, Elenar, both of whom were close to Bergan's age.

The dragoness focused her attention on Elenar, her gaze filled with hate. She let the black blanket fall to the floor around her, revealing her appearance:

The girl was roughly 13 years of age. She was not really a "Purple" dragoness at all: In truth, she had a snow white hide. She was wearing Purple makeup on her face: A crude but effective diguise.

The White dragoness had a thin build, and a Silver underbelly. She had four Silver horns: Two larger ones that curled backwards on the top of her head, and two smaller ones that were behind her jaw and curled downwards and forwards. She had a wild Black mane that fell to her neck. Two glyphs glowed Red on either side of her belly, just between her forelegs and hindlegs: the image of two infinity signs, one crossed over the other.

The girl had a silver satchel at her side. The girl drew a small dagger from the satchel and unsheathed it, holding it in her front left paw. She glared directly into the young Elenar's eyes.

"I hate you." She said, venom in her voice.

She plunged the dagger into the portrait, stabbing the Pain dragoness between the eyes. The girl backed away from the portrait, her gaze focused on Elenar.

"I swear, I'll make you pay for leaving me, Mother."


End file.
